OCT
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P.24
2016 PRESIDENTIAL Q&A
P.29 COVER STORY
5 THINGS YOU CAN CHANGE After You Retire, Here’s What You Need to Keep Up to Date
P.44
114TH CONGRESS SCORECARD Volume 92 • Number 10
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Call Beltone at 1-888-683-2583 to schedule your complimentary hearing screening, today! *The insured may need to submit for reimbursement. State and/or local taxes may apply. Prices and products subject to change. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan will pay a hearing aid benefit up to $2,500 every 3 calendar years for adults age 22 and over, and up to a $2,500 total per calendar year for members up to age 22. Do not rely on this communication piece alone for complete benefit information. All benefits are subject to the definitions, limitations, and exclusions in your Service Benefit Plan brochure. The Blue365® Discount Program offers access to savings on items that you may purchase directly from independent vendors, which may be different from items covered under your Service Benefit Plan or any other applicable federal healthcare program. For hearing aids, acupuncture, chiropractic and vision services, you must exhaust your Service Benefit Plan benefits first. To find out what is covered under your policy, contact the Service Benefit Plan. The products and services described herein are neither offered not guaranteed under any local Blue company’s contract with the Medicare program. In addition, these items are not subject to the Medicare appeals process. Any disputes regarding these products and services are not subject to the Service Benefit Plan’s Disputed Claims process. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) may receive payments from Blue365 vendors. Neither the Service Benefit Plan, BCBSA, nor any local Blue company recommends, endorses, warrants or guarantees any specific Blue365 vendor or item. The Service Benefit Plan reserves the right to change, modify, or terminate any item and vendors made available through Blue365, at any time. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is an association of independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Companies. State and local taxes and/or fees may apply. Available at participating locations until December 31, 2016.
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WASHINGTON WATCH
6
NARFE Seeks Hearings on Long-Term Care Premium Increases
8
Low COLA, Higher Medicare Premiums Possible for 2017
9 WEP Reform Update 10 Registration Opens for Legislative Conference
10 Checksfield Named
Grass-Roots Manager
11
Legislative Conference Registration Form
12 NARFE Bill Tracker
44
COLUMNS COVER STORY 5 THINGS. You’ve packed up and said your goodbyes to your colleagues, but there are still some benefits changes you can make in retirement. Here’s what to keep up to date.
4 From the President 56 Managing Money 58 The Informed Citizen DEPARTMENTS
114TH CONGRESS SCORECARD. Before you vote, see how your representative and senators voted on issues of importance to NARFE.
29
16 Questions & Answers 60 For the Record:
TSP Returns, Retirement Claims Status, Countdown to COLA
62 NARFE News 68 The Way We Worked SPECIAL SECTIONS
24 2016 NARFE Presidential
On the Web
Candidate Questionnaire
29 Congressional Scorecard:
VISIT US ONLINE AT:
114th Congress
www.narfe.org
52 Open Season: Time to
Prepare Plus: FLTCIP Info Sources
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK:
NARFE National Headquarters FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:
@narfehq
ON THE COVER
Illustration by Bill Pragluski, Critical Stages, LLC W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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OCTOBER 2016 | Volume 92 | Number 10
EDITOR Margaret M. Carter EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATOR Toni Vallario GRAPHIC DESIGN Charlene Gridley
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association NATIONAL OFFICERS RICHARD G. THISSEN, President; natpres@narfe.org JON DOWIE, Secretary/Treasurer; natsectreas@narfe.org
EDITORIAL BOARD Richard G. Thissen, Jon Dowie REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS EDITORIAL OFFICE: narfe magazine 606 North Washington St. Alexandria, VA 22314-1914 Phone: 703-838-7760 Fax: 703-838-7781 Email: communications@narfe.org ADVERTISING SALES: Warren Berger Media People Inc. 122 East 42nd St., Suite 1622 New York, NY 10168 Phone: 212-779-7172, ext. 223 Email: wberger@mediapeople.com
NARFE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED ON THE TELEPHONE: This publication can be heard on the telephone by persons who have trouble seeing or reading the print edition. For more information, contact the National Federation of the Blind NFB-NEWSLINE® service at 866-5047300 or go to www.nfbnewsline.org. ON DIGITAL AUDIO: Issues of narfe magazine are also available in audio format through the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). For availability, call 202-727-2142 or your local NLS service provider.
The Association, since July 1970, has been classified by the IRS as a tax-exempt labor organization [not a union]; however, dues and gifts or contributions to the Association are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes.
REGION I James P. Crawford (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont) TEL: 603-630-5191 EMAIL: crawfordjim62@gmail.com REGION II Evelyn Kirby (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania) TEL: 410-604-1141 EMAIL: ekirby@atlanticbb.net REGION III Jerry Janci (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina and Virgin Islands) TEL: 662-412-2029 EMAIL: lettermanj@aol.com REGION IV Edward J. Konys (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin) TEL: 937-470-0566 EMAIL: region4vp@gmail.com REGION V Carol R. Ek (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota) TEL: 620-241-1131, CELL: 620-504-2202 EMAIL: ek617@att.net
HERE’S HOW TO CONTACT US… TO JOIN NARFE OR TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP:
CALL (TOLL-FREE) 800-627-3394 OR GO TO www.narfe.org
REGION VI Marshall L. Richards (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Republic of Panama and Texas) TEL: 903-660-2784 EMAIL: pappysdad@cobridge.tv REGION VII Rodney L. Adelman (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) TEL: 623-505-4719 EMAIL: narfe7vp@cox.net REGION VIII Helen L. Zajac (California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada and Republic of Philippines) TEL: 707-644-7565 EMAIL: HLZajac125@gmail.com REGION IX Lanny G. Ross (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington) TEL: 360-692-9741 EMAIL: lannyjean@comcast.net REGION X William Shackelford (Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia) TEL: 703-830-6590, CELL: 703-201-6304 EMAIL: wshack1951@aol.com
TO REACH A FEDERAL BENEFITS SPECIALIST:
EMAIL fedbenefits@narfe.org NARFE HEADQUARTERS
TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER OR EMAIL LISTING:
CALL (TOLL-FREE) 800-456-8410, EMAIL memberrecords@narfe.org OR LOG ON TO www.narfe.org and go to “My Account”
606 N. Washington St. Alexandria, VA 22314 703-838-7760
www.narfe.org
narfe (ISSN 1948-4453) is published monthly by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), 606 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA, and additional mailing offices. Members: Annual dues includes subscription. Nonmember subscription rate $45. Postmaster: Send address change to: NARFE Attn: Member Records, 606 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314. To ensure prompt delivery, members should also forward changes of address without delay. Because of the volume involved, NARFE cannot acknowledge nor be responsible for unsolicited pictures and manuscripts, although every reasonable precaution is taken. All submissions become the property of NARFE. Copyright © 2016, NARFE. Advertisements in the magazine are not endorsements of products and/or services by NARFE, unless officially stated in the ad. We shall accept advertising on the same basis as other reputable publications: that is, we shall not knowingly permit a dishonest advertisement to appear in narfe, but at the same time we will not undertake to guarantee the reliability of our advertisers.
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From the President
A BIG THANK YOU!
I
want to begin my column this month by expressing a great big, “Thank you,” to the delegates at the 2016 National
Convention for their courage and foresight to vote for two historic resolutions. One of these resolutions was Optional Chapter Membership, which removed the requirement that every member of NARFE must belong to a chapter. Mandatory chapter membership, imposed in the mid-1980s, has been a deterrent to our recruiting and retention efforts and contributed to a steady decline of membership since that time. The other historic resolution was One Member, One Vote, which provides each and every member of NARFE a vote in the decisions relating to governance and election of officers. This replaces the previous method of chapters having one vote for every 50 members or fraction thereof. As a result of the passage of these two resolu-
tions, the National Executive Board voted to end the eNARFE incentive program. Membership in a NARFE chapter is now optional. New members will simply join NARFE. With their welcome information, new members will be provided the option to also join a local chapter. Likewise, renewing members may choose to belong to NARFE as a national member only or opt to enjoy the benefits of their local chapter, as well. I received many comments from attendees that they enjoyed the Convention; many said how much they appreciated the inclusion of lunches because they didn’t have to find a restaurant and stand in line – and the desserts were great! I also was gratified to see so many first-time attendees. When I asked first-timers to stand up, it appeared that about one-third of those in the room did. I talked to many of them, and every one said they would attend again. We need such new, invigorated members to continue the work of this great organization. I know that change is difficult. But I would ask that we all unite to support NARFE’s important mission to preserve the pay and benefits of federal employees, federal retirees and their survivors. By doing so, we will keep our Association alive and thriving for another 95 years.
RICHARD G. THISSEN NARFE NATIONAL PRESIDENT natpres@narfe.org
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Washington Watch
NARFE CALLS FOR LONGTERM CARE HEARINGS, WEIGHS FLTCIP CHANGES
I
n response to the dramatic increases in premiums for enrollees in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP), Richard G. Thissen, NARFE National
President, has requested congressional hearings. “Nearly 264,000 federal employees will face an average premium increase of 83 percent, an estimated $111 per month,” Thissen said in letters to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Senate Special Committee on Aging. “This situation has many NARFE members stunned and outraged.” Thissen asked the committees to hold hearings “to evaluate the justifications for these new, massive increases and to discuss policy options to mitigate the effect of premium increases now and in the future.” The increases follow the awarding of a new seven-year contract for FLTCIP to the John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company. NARFE will pursue legislative policy options that could bring 6
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price stability and predictability to the program and improve affordability, while maintaining solvency. Price Stability. Without price stability, FLTCIP enrollees must make an open-ended commitment to ever-increasing premiums. They can have little confidence that premiums will not rise substantially again in seven years (or before that) and, therefore, have limited ability to know whether their coverage is worth the price they are paying and how it compares with alternatives for planning for long-term care costs, such as self-insuring through personal savings, purchasing a life insurance/long-term care hybrid plan, or other option. Because of this, the price increases threaten the viability of FLTCIP as an option for federal employees and retirees. First, there is a clear need for improved oversight of FLTCIP
and better evaluation of the assumptions used to set premiums. The assumptions were not off by a little bit – they were way off. Better actuarial analysis and review by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) – whether seven or 14 years ago or throughout the term of the contracts – should have at least mitigated the severe premium increases we are seeing. Oversight and actuarial review may be improved by: creating an oversight board, using the expertise of actuaries from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or soliciting independent expert review of the actuarial assumptions underlying the contract. While improved oversight would help, it would not protect against unforeseeable errors by the insurance company and the government regulator or oversight entity
IN THIS ISSUE: P. 24: PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE P. 29: CONGRESSIONAL SCORECARD
MYTH vs. REALITY (currently OPM). Limiting annual or lifetime premium increases would explicitly provide premium stability. Unfortunately, doing so, by itself, could cause program liabilities to exceed program assets, threatening the solvency of the program, which would not be good for enrollees seeking to claim the benefits for which they paid. However, limits on premium increases could be combined with reinsurance to provide premium stability and protect against insolvency. That is, the insurer (John Hancock) would be required to buy insurance from another (reinsurance) company to protect against the risk that premiums (including allowable, limited increases) would not be sufficient to meet the liabilities of the program. The reinsurance would carry a risk premium that would be incorporated into the enrollee’s premium. Affordability. While improved price stability is necessary to ensure the viability of the program, it does not address the issue of affordability. In fact, policies that improve price stability actually may increase costs in the short term to prevent premium increases in the future. But other changes may make FLTCIP more affordable. First, NARFE supports providing an employer contribution – as is available with health insurance – to lower costs for enrollees. However, such a government subsidy is unlikely to be approved by Congress in the current political environment. Second, NARFE supports allowing for an exclusion from gross
income for any premiums paid for long-term care insurance. This could be provided for all taxpayers or as an expansion of the current $3,000 exclusion that applies only to the retirement plan distributions (such as federal annuities) of retired public safety officers. This also may be politically difficult to achieve, but less so than an employer contribution. NARFE also is exploring the possibility of additional plan options that allow for monthly deductibles that could reduce costs, but also provide valuable insurance for federal retirees. Under the current program, there is a limited daily benefit amount that can be used to pay for long-term care services, which may be limited by a term, such as three years. With a monthly deductible, a federal retiree with a guaranteed annuity could purchase coverage for costs only above what he or she could afford to pay, thereby limiting the amount of insurance necessary and reducing the cost (and associated premium). For example, with a $3,000 monthly annuity, one may be able to afford $2,000 per month to stay in an assisted living facility or nursing home without needing long-term care insurance. Having the option to purchase a plan with a $2,000 monthly deductible also would allow for a reduced daily benefit amount, as the enrollee would need the long-term care insurance to cover only the costs above $2,000 per month. For those with guaranteed monthly income from a Civil
MYTH: NARFE endorses congressional and presidential candidates. REALITY: NARFE, as an organization, does not endorse congressional or presidential candidates. The Association’s political action committee, NARFEPAC, contributes to some congressional candidates but does not contribute to presidential candidates. NARFE members can see the candidates who have received NARFE-PAC funds on the NARFE-PAC section of the NARFE website, www. narfe.org. NARFE-PAC, which is financed solely through voluntary contributions by NARFE members made explicitly for political purposes, does not formally endorse any candidates. NARFE also provides members with a scorecard of how members of Congress voted on issues relevant to NARFE (see page 29) and publishes answers to presidential candidate questionnaires (see page 24). These sections are intended to educate members about the candidates’ votes and positions, but should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any candidate.
Service Retirement System annuity or the combination of a Federal Employees Retirement System annuity and Social Security benefit, such an option could reduce premium costs and makes sense. —BY JOHN HATTON, DEPUTY LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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Washington Watch
LOW COLA, HIGHER MEDICARE PART B PREMIUMS POSSIBLE FOR 2017
A
s this issue went to press in early September, it was looking more likely that there will be a small costof-living adjustment (COLA) to federal retirement annuities and Social Security benefits for 2017, which also may mean a disproportionate increase in Medicare Part B premiums for many federal retirees. The COLA is determined by averaging consumer price index figures from July, August and September, all of which are released the following month. With the July figure released in the middle of August, the first third of the equation would result in only a 0.2 percent COLA. This would mean higher
Medicare Part B premiums for individuals not “held harmless” from premium increases because of a provision of law that prevents increases in the Part B premium from reducing Social Security benefits for most individuals who
Small COLA means higher premiums for those not “held harmless.” pay the premiums from their Social Security checks. Those not held harmless include federal annuitants in the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), who did not pay into Social Security during their federal careers.
When the hold harmless provision kicks in, whether due to no COLA or a low COLA, those not held harmless are forced to pick up the slack so that total Medicare Part B premiums cover 25 percent of the cost of the program. For 2017, there’s an additional wrinkle, which was passed as part of the 2015 budget deal: If there’s no COLA, those not held harmless will only pay as much as if there was no hold harmless provision. It’s a confusing situation. But the table below may provide some clarity, summing up what would happen to 2017 Part B premiums based on several possible scenarios for the 2017 COLA. —BY JOHN HATTON, DEPUTY LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR
Part B Premium (per month) for those held harmless (those whose premium is paid from their Social Security [SS] check)*
Part B Premium (per month) for those NOT held harmless (those whose premium is paid from their CSRS annuity)**
0
$104.90
+/- $122 (+/- means plus or minus a few dollars)
0.1
$104.90 + $ amount of COLA (if SS = $1,000 per month, the COLA would add $1 per month to SS benefit, which would go toward the Part B premium, which would then be $105.90 per month)
More than $149
0.2
$104.90 + $ amount of COLA
+/- $149
0.3 +
$104.90 + $ amount of COLA, but only as high as +/- $122
Less than $149, as low as $122 (the greater the COLA, the lower the premium)***
COLA (percent)
* Individuals who pay higher premiums due to having higher incomes are not held harmless from premium increases. ** Individuals who pay higher premiums due to having higher incomes pay a proportionate amount more, depending on their income bracket. *** It is likely that the COLA needs to be as high as at least around 1.5 percent to bring the Part B premium down to around $122 per month for those not held harmless. 8
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NARFE CONTINUES TO PUSH FOR WEP REFORM PASSAGE
N
ARFE continues to push for passage of an acceptable version of H.R. 711, a bill that would reform the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). Working with the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Kevin Brady, R-TX, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, NARFE is seeking to maintain provisions in the bill that would provide relief for those already eligible for, or receiving, Social Security (SS) benefits, and to satisfy concerns from other stakeholders that could hold up the bill’s movement in Congress. Under H.R. 711, relief for current
Legislative Resources • Legislative Hotline: A weekly update of legislative news, compiled by the NARFE Legislative Department staff, distributed via email and available by phone (toll-free) at 877-217-8234 and online at www.narfe.org.
beneficiaries depends on savings generated from the bill’s provisions that would improve enforcement of WEP. In July, Brady was ready to move an amended version of the bill through committee that did not include the enforcement provisions, thus limiting relief for current SS beneficiaries. The enforcement provisions were dropped because of concerns regarding their operation. NARFE has discussed possible alternatives with committee staff, who are eager to develop a workable solution that provides adequate relief for current beneficiaries.
• Legislative Action Center: A one-stop site to send a letter to Congress, and more, at www.narfe.org.
—BY JOHN HATTON, DEPUTY LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR
NARFE-PAC CONTRIBUTION FORM I would like to be a SUSTAINER and make a monthly credit card contribution to NARFE-PAC of: q $25/month q $10/month
Monthly contributors of $10 or more will receive the NARFE-PAC Sustainer lapel pin and a NARFE duffle bag.
q Other: ______/month (minimum of $10) OR
q Please charge to my credit card (required for monthly contribution) Credit Card Information Type:
q MasterCard q VISA q Discover q American Express
Card No.: _____________________________________ Expiration Date: _____ /_________ mm
yyyy
I would like to make a one-time contribution of:
Name on Card: ________________________________
q $250 GOLD – Gold lapel pin and duffle bag
Signature: ____________________________________
q $100 SILVER – Silver lapel pin
Date: ________________________________________
q $50 BRONZE – Bronze lapel pin q $25 BASIC – Basic lapel pin q Other: _______________
q Please do not send any gifts for my contribution.
Or make check payable to NARFE-PAC. Mail to: National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association Attn: Budget & Finance 606 North Washington St. | Alexandria, VA 22314
NARFE Member #: __________________________________________ Name: ___________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: __________________________________________________________________
State: ________
ZIP: ___________________
Only members of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association may contribute to NARFE-PAC. NARFE will neither favor nor disadvantage anyone based on the amount of a contribution or the failure to make a voluntary contribution to this political action fund. NARFE-PAC contributions are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.
W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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Washington Watch
REGISTRATION OPENS FOR LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE
R
egistration for the 2017 NARFE Legislative Training Conference, March 12-15, opens October 1. With advocacy being NARFE’s core mission, the conference is an opportunity for NARFE members to learn the most effective ways to reach their members of Congress and organize at the grass-roots level. Attendees will be trained in advocacy by the NARFE legislative staff at breakout sessions, hear expert speakers on national policy issues at general sessions and network with fellow NARFE grass-roots activists throughout. The conference will be held at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, VA. Participation is open to all NARFE members interested in becoming first-class advocates and learning how to organize their local chapters and federations. Registration. The $175 registration fee includes three buffet
breakfasts, two lunches, one buffet dinner, a closing reception, materials, and transportation to/from Capitol Hill. Federation 10 Percent Funds can, and should, be used to help offset registration costs. Beginning October 1, register online at www.narfe.org/ legcon2017, or register by mail using the form on the facing page. Registration deadline is February 10, 2017. The fee is nonrefundable. Training. Participants will receive hands-on training to prepare them for Capitol Hill meetings on Wednesday, March 15, the last day of the conference. They also will learn about the issues facing the federal community, NARFE’s legislative agenda and how to organize locally. They will be able to choose the training topics in which they are most interested from a menu of specialized breakout sessions. The conference will wrap up with a reception that will provide an opportunity for
participants to debrief one another and NARFE staff members. Hotel Information. All training and included meals will be hosted at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. The special room rate is $169, plus applicable taxes, for a total of $194.51 per night for single- and double-room occupancy. The room rate also is available for three days before and after the conference, space dependent. The hotel is five miles from Ronald Reagan National Airport and provides a shuttle to and from the airport. NARFE has negotiated a discounted self-parking rate of $15 a day for NARFE members. Hotel registration is available online or by calling 800-4458667. Make sure to mention that you are attending the “NARFE 2017 Legislative Conference.” The deadline to register at the hotel using the NARFE discounted rate is February 10. Questions? Email mchecksfield@narfe.org.
CHECKSFIELD NAMED GRASS-ROOTS MANAGER
M
olly Checksfield joined NARFE in July as GrassRoots Program Manager. Prior to coming to NARFE, Checksfield earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and a certificate of advanced study in health care management and policy. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont. Previously, she was the legisla-
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tive director of Social Seworked for Sen. Sheldon curity Works and led the Whitehouse, D-RI. Strengthen Social SecuShe also advocates on rity Coalition’s legislative behalf of people living committee, whose memwith Alzheimer’s disbers are 350 national and ease, their families and state organizations that caregivers, as one of 25 Americans in the World support expansion of SoYoung Leaders in Demencial Security and oppose any benefit cuts. In this Molly Checksfield tia organization. NARFE’s grass-roots leaders are role, she managed legisencouraged to contact her and lative and grass-roots messaging introduce themselves by emailing strategy across the United States. Before Social Security Works, she mchecksfield@narfe.org.
REGISTRATION FORM
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Conference meals and events are included for registered attendees. Are you planning on attending the Sunday night dinner? o Yes o No Are you planning on attending the breakfasts on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday? o Yes o No Attendees may bring guests to all NARFE-provided meals for a separate $175 fee. This fee does not include participation in the trainings or materials. Will you have a guest for meals? o Yes o No Name of guest(s) _______________________________________________ Is this your first NARFE Legislative Training Conference?
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Do you plan to ride the NARFE-provided bus to Capitol Hill on March 15? o Yes o No Do you plan to return to the hotel from Capitol Hill on the bus later that afternoon? o Yes o No Do you plan to attend the evening reception? o Yes o No
Washington Watch
narfe bill tracker THE NARFE BILL TRACKER IS YOUR MONTHLY GUIDE TO THE CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION THAT NARFE IS FOLLOWING. CHECK BACK EACH ISSUE FOR UPDATES. ISSUE
BILL NUMBER / NAME / SPONSOR
WHAT BILL WOULD DO
H.R. 3351: CPI-E Act of 2015 / Rep. Mike Honda, D-CA COLA
LATEST ACTION(S)
Requires Social Security and many federal retirement programs to use the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) to calculate cost-ofliving adjustments in retirement benefits.
Cosponsors: 37 (D)
Referred to the House committees on Ways and Means, Veterans’ Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and Armed Services narfe, August 2016
H.R. 4461: Federal Employee Rights Act / Rep. Tom Price, R-GA UNION RIGHTS
Cosponsors: 41 (R)
H.R. 485: Wage Grade Employee Parity Act /Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-PA
Would limit the rights of federal employee unions by barring them from automatically deducting dues from workers’ paychecks, alter the way union elections are conducted and prohibit unions from using dues to conduct political activity.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Gives the president the authority to provide Wage Grade, or hourly, employees a pay raise.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Provides for a 3.8 percent pay raise for federal employees and a 1.4 percent increase in locality pay in 2017.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Cosponsors: 9 (D), 3 (R)
FEDERAL COMPENSATION
H.R. 4585: The Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act / Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, D-VA Cosponsors: 71 (D) S. 2699: The Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act / Sen. Brian Schatz, D-HI
narfe, April 2016
Referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Cosponsors: 3 (D) H.R. 5714: Postal Service Reform Act of 2016 / Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-UT
Requires postal retirees to enroll in Medicare in order to continue receiving their current federal health insurance coverage. Enrollment would be automatic.
Cosponsors: 3 (D), 1 (R)
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform narfe, Sept. 2016
POSTAL REFORM H.Res. 12: Expresses the sense of the House that the Postal Service should take measures to ensure continuation of six-day delivery / Rep. Sam Graves, R-MO
Expresses the sense of the House that the U.S. Postal Service should maintain six-day mail delivery. As a resolution, it will not be sent to the president and, therefore, cannot become law.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Cosponsors: 176 (D), 59 (R) NARFE’s Position: 12
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Support
Oppose
No position
EDITOR’S NOTE: Several items have been removed from the NARFE Bill Tracker. Those bills are all listed online at cqrcengage.com/narfe/home.
ISSUE
POSTAL REFORM
BILL NUMBER / NAME / SPONSOR
WHAT BILL WOULD DO
LATEST ACTION(S)
H.R. 784: Protect Overnight Repeals the service standards Delivery Act / Rep. Rosa implemented by the Postal DeLauro, D-CT Service on 1/5/15 and directs the Postal Service to reinstate Cosponsors: 100 (D), 3 (R) 12/31/2011 service standards.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
S. 1742: Rural Postal Act of Returns to service standards 2015 / Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, of July 2012, preserves six-day D-ND delivery and puts a two-year moratorium on plant closures. Cosponsors: 7 (D)
Referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
S. 2051: The Improving Postal Operations, Service and Transparency Act (iPost) of 2015 / Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-DE
Referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Cosponsors: 2 (D), 3 (R)
Requires postal employees and retirees to enroll in Medicare in order to continue receiving their current federal health insurance coverage and cuts workers’ compensation benefits for injured federal employees.
H.Res. 54: Expresses the sense of the House that the Postal Service should take all measures to restore service standards in effect on July 1, 2012 / Rep. Dave McKinley, R-WV
Expresses the sense of the House that the U.S. Postal Service should restore service standards as of July 1, 2012. As a resolution, it will not be sent to the president and, therefore, cannot become law.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Would allow the U.S. Postal Service to provide basic financial services, including small-dollar loans, checking and savings accounts and international money transfers, and to create a Postal Card that allows users to engage in these services.
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
narfe, March 2016
Cosponsors: 184 (D), 51 (R) H.R. 4422: Providing Opportunities for Savings, Transactions, and Lending (POSTAL) Act of 2015 / Rep. Cedric L. Richmond, D-LA Cosponsors: 12 (D)
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
HEALTH CARE
H.R. 20: The Government By the People Act / Rep. John Sarbanes, D-MD Cosponsors: 160 (D), 1 (R) H.R. 2175: FEHBP Prescription Drug Oversight and Cost Savings Act / Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, D-MA Cosponsors: 2 (D)
Reforms campaign finance laws Referred to three to put small donors on par with House committees wealthier donors. Provides a tax credit for contributions and government matching contributions. Provides the Office of Personnel Management greater oversight authority over the prescription drug contracting and pricing methods of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP).
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
(Continued on p. 14) W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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13
Washington Watch
narfe bill tracker
(Continued from p. 13) ISSUE
BILL NUMBER / NAME / SPONSOR H.R. 973: Social Security Fairness Act of 2015 / Rep. Rodney Davis, R-IL Cosponsors: 117 (D), 37 (R)
GPO/WEP
WHAT BILL WOULD DO
LATEST ACTION(S)
Repeals the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means
S. 1651: Social Security Fairness Act of 2015 / Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH
Referred to the Senate Finance Committee
Cosponsors: 16 (D), 6 (R), 2 (I)
narfe, September 2015
H.R. 711: Equal Treatment of Reforms the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). For Public Servants Act of 2015 individuals who turn 62 in / Rep. Kevin Brady, R-TX 2017 or later, it provides a new formula that would deCosponsors: 46 (D), 76 (R) crease the WEP penalty, on average, for those affected. For those who turn(ed) 62 before 2017, it would reduce the WEP penalty by up to 50 percent, based on savings derived from improved enforcement of WEP, as determined by the Social Security actuary.
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means
H.R. 532: Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act / Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY
Referred to the House committees on Administration, and Oversight and Government Reform
Allows federal employees six weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
Cosponsors: 66 (D), 1 (R) PAID PARENTAL LEAVE
narfe, May 2015
S. 2033: Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act / Sen. Brian Schatz, D-HI
Referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Cosponsors: 2 (D)
DC STATEHOOD
PENSION SCAM PROTECTION
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See story, p. 9
narfe, November 2015
Sets forth procedures that H.R. 317: New Columbia Admission Act / Del. Eleanor would allow the District of Columbia to become a Holmes Norton, D-DC state known as New Columbia. Cosponsors: 133 (D)
Referred to the House committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and Administration
H.R. 3850: Annuity Safety and Security Under Reasonable Enforcement (ASSURE) Act / Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-PA
Referred to four House committees
Cosponsors: 24 (D), 1 (R)
Requires appropriate disclosures regarding “pension advance” schemes and caps the interest rates on these advances. Also creates a private right-ofaction to allow individuals to enforce these laws in court.
NARFE’s Position:
Support
narfe, January 2016
Oppose
No position
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Questions & Answers
The following Questions & Answers were compiled by NARFE’s Federal Benefits Service Department staff. NARFE does not provide advice or assistance on legal, financial planning or tax matters.
EMPLOYEES AT RETIREMENT, MAKE SURE YOUR AGENCY’S RECORD OF UNUSED ANNUAL LEAVE LOOKS CORRECT I have more than 240 hours of unused annual leave, and I will have much more by the time I retire at the end of the year. How do I calculate the hours to give to my agency in order to be paid for them?
Q A
Your agency will be responsible for calculating your unused annual leave and will pay you for those hours in a lump sum, probably along with your final salary payment. You do not have to do anything yourself except make sure that the agency’s record of unused annual leave appears to be correct.
OPM’S RETIREMENT EVALUATION PROCESS
Q
I haven’t been able to find any information about the steps the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) takes when evaluating a retirement application. I was wondering
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if NARFE could provide details on the process.
A
The retirement process starts with your agency transmitting your retirement records to OPM, usually within a couple of weeks after you separate from federal service. Upon receipt, OPM creates your retirement case and assigns it a unique retirement claim number with a CSA prefix. Your retirement case first will be reviewed to make sure all documents needed by OPM to fully adjudicate your retirement claim are in your case file. If they are not, OPM will go back to your agency and request whatever is missing. If OPM has all the records,
it will place you into interim pay status – usually within one or two weeks after receipt of your records. The case then will be assigned to one of the Pending Claims sections and then to a legal administrative specialist, whose job it is to adjudicate your retirement claim. Currently, OPM is completing 79 percent of cases within 60 days with an average processing time of 38 days. (See p. 60 in this issue for the current OPM processing status.)
WHEN ARE EXCESS CONTRIBUTIONS MADE?
Q
Without my sick leave, I have 41 years and three months of service. Does that mean that I have no excess retirement contributions?
A
Most likely, you won’t have excess contributions. Under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), the
basic annuity of any employee may not exceed 80 percent of the average of the employee’s highthree years of pay. Normally, total service of 41 years and 11 months (excluding unused sick leave credit) produces the maximum annuity. CSRS contributions deducted from your service that exceed the 41 years and 11 months are refundable to you. Unused sick leave can be added to your total federal service time to result in an annuity that is more than 80 percent of your high-3 average salary. Under the Federal Employees Retirement System, there is no maximum percentage of the high-3 average salary.
RETURNING TO WORK AFTER RETIREMENT
Q
I’d like to retire January 3, 2017, and then return to my current job and work three days a week. Can I do this under phased retirement?
A
No. Phased retirement is different from being a re-employed annuitant, which is what you are describing. Phased retirement allows certain employees who are eligible for an immediate retirement to elect to transition into retirement by continuing to work on a part-time basis and receive a part of their earned annuity in proportion to their part-time work. For example, if you worked part-time on a 40-hours-a-pay-period schedule, you would receive 50 percent of your earned annuity. Also, at least 20 percent of your
part-time work must consist of mentoring another employee. Electing phased retirement is strictly voluntary and requires approval from your agency. Later, when you fully retire, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will recompute your annuity. If you return to federal service as a re-employed annuitant, your salary would be reduced by the amount of your annuity in most cases, unless your agency applies for a waiver. If you leave federal service again after at least two years of full-time re-employment, you are eligible for a supplemental annuity that would be added to your regular annuity payment. For re-employment of five years or more, OPM will recalculate your annuity using the added service.
RETIREES WHEN MEDICARE IS PRIMARY PAYER
Q
I thought all retired federal employees were required to have Medicare as primary payer and their Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) plan as secondary. Is this correct?
A
When you reach age 65 and are eligible to enroll, you must enroll in Medicare Part A, which covers inhospital costs. But you do not have to enroll in Part B, which covers physician and medical expenses. If you are retired when you enroll in Medicare, Medicare is
your primary insurance and your FEHBP plan is secondary. If you are enrolled only in Medicare Part A, Medicare is the primary payer of in-hospital costs; then what Medicare doesn’t cover, your FEHBP plan will cover. Since you are not enrolled in Medicare Part B, your physician and medical expenses will continue to be covered under your FEHBP health plan as they always have been.
NO REFUND PAID, BUT REDUCTION IS REMOVED
Q
My spouse recently died, and I am currently filling out the forms required to notify the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Is there any refund due to me for the amount my annuity was reduced monthly to provide her a survivor annuity?
A
There is no refund for the amount your annuity was reduced monthly to provide a survivor annuity for your wife. However, OPM will recompute your annuity once you submit a copy of your wife’s death certificate. Your higher annuity will be effective back to the date of your wife’s death.
MRA + 10 NOT ELIGIBLE FOR SUPPLEMENT
Q
I retired on a postponed annuity under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). I separated at age 59 with 20 years and 11 months of service, but my retirement/annuity start date was 11 months later, W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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17
Questions & Answers
when I reached age 60. I receive an unreduced annuity benefit, and my Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance have been reinstated. But I am not receiving the special FERS Annuity Supplement. Why, with an unreduced annuity, am I considered a MRA (minimum retirement age) + 10 annuitant? The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) claims the date of separation determines my eligibility for the FERS Annuity Supplement, not the annuity commencement date.
A
18
The minimum age and years of service for an immediate annuity under
ROC3137NARFEhalfAds.indd 1 OC T 2 016
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FERS are: • MRA + 10 years of service; • MRA with 30 years of service; • Age 60 with 20 years of service; and • Age 62 with five years of service. When you separated for retirement you were age 59 and, thus, were eligible to retire immediately under the MRA + 10 provision. The fact that you elected to postpone receipt of your annuity is not relevant to your eligibility for a FERS Annuity Supplement. (The supplement, as you know, provides an additional annuity amount for certain employees who are entitled to an immediate annuity before becoming eligible
to receive their Social Security benefits at age 62. It approximates what they would be paid if they were eligible for Social Security at the time they retired.) Here is what OPM says about eligibility for the supplement in its Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) Handbook for Personnel and Payroll Offices: Retirees in the following categories are not eligible for the retiree annuity supplement at any time: • Disability retirees; • Individuals retiring under the MRA + 10 provision; • Individuals who are eligible only for a deferred annuity; and
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Questions & Answers
• Individuals retiring at age 62 or later.
but you must sign and date your letter and be specific as to what action you are requesting OPM to take. As always, include your retirement claim number so that OPM can identify your records.
CANCELING OPTIONAL LIFE INSURANCE
Q
I have been retired for many years. The premiums for my optional federal life insurance under the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program have increased to a point where I need to cancel them. How do I do this?
A
You need to contact the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in writing at: OPM, P.O. Box 45, Boyers, PA 16017. There is no form for this,
EFFECTIVE DATE FOR MEDICARE COVERAGE: II
Q
I read the Q&A titled “Effective Date for Medicare Coverage” on page 18 of the August 2016 issue of narfe magazine. I recently went through the same process of signing up for Medicare that the writer asked about, and I had a little different experience with Social Security than what your response indicated.
I turned age 65 on March 15, 2016. I waited until June 15 and applied for Part A and Part B through the Social Security website. I received acknowledgement from Social Security on June 16. I subsequently received a written response, advising that I was now enrolled, and my Part A benefits were effective retroactive to March 1, 2016, and my Part B benefits would be effective on September 1, 2016. This is in contrast to your response. I only bring it up to underscore that responses from Social Security may vary.
A
Thank you for sharing your experience. We provided our answer based
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Questions & Answers
NARFE at Your Service on what Medicare’s response was to a similar question on its website.
ATTY. RICHARD RENAUD RETIRES
Editor’s Note: Richard P. Renaud, a NARFE member who began a law practice specializing in Social Security appeals after retiring from federal service, wrote to inform NARFE that he is now retiring from practice. Over the years, NARFE’s Federal Benefits Service Department has referred to Renaud many members who were seeking an attorney to represent them before the Social Security Administra-
tion. “We won a significant proportion of our cases and reached a negotiated settlement on almost all the others,” Renaud reported. Many of the NARFE members who retained his services wrote to the Association to express their appreciation for referring them to Renaud, noting the wonderful work he did on their behalf. NARFE wishes him all the best in retirement. To obtain an answer to a federal benefits question, NARFE members should call 703-838-7760 and ask for the Federal Benefits Service Department; send the question by postal mail to NARFE Headquarters, ATTN: Federal Benefits; or submit it by email to fedbenefits@narfe.org.
NARFE service officers are available to answer questions and to assist in helping with a variety of benefit matters. Check your chapter newsletter for the name and phone number of your service officer. For the nearest service officer, call NARFE (toll-free) at:
800-456-8410. NARFE Service Centers also are available in some areas. Use the Service Center listings on the NARFE website,
www. narfe.org.
The 5th Edition of NARFE’s
Questions & Answers Book is Available Now!
NARFE’s retirement experts answer questions most frequently asked by federal annuitants and employees. Order your copy of the new Questions & Answers today!
Only $9.95
Clip and mail to: NARFE Q&A Book, 606 N. Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 Name___________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________
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NARFE Hospital Income and Short-Term Recovery Insurance Plan: Available to NARFE Members and spouses age 65 and older with guaranteed acceptance.*
The costly expense of a Hospital stay and home recovery due to an unexpected injury or illness can take you far off course. And with Hospitals discharging patients sooner these days, even after complex surgeries and treatments, being financially impacted by the high costs of at-home recovery has become a much more common occurrence. The NARFE Hospital Income and Short Term Recovery Insurance Plan can help you protect the savings you’ve worked so hard for and reach the future you’ve planned for, as well as help you take control of your health care choices — allowing you to maintain your self reliance, and receive the level of care you deserve after leaving the Hospital. This plan pays you, or anyone you choose, cash benefits for Hospital stays and home recovery expenses you often need after leaving the Hospital. And, you can use the cash as you see fit. No questions asked.
Plan features include: • In-Hospital cash benefits, starting the first day you’re Hospitalized for a covered Injury or Sickness. • At-Home cash benefits, paid to you directly as soon as Medicare approves any post-Hospital home recovery treatments your doctor recommends. • Cash benefits paid in addition to any other coverage you may already have, and you can use the money however you choose. • Coverage that cannot be canceled because of your health or your age. • Economical group rates specifically negotiated by NARFE for our members.
To learn more or enroll in the NARFE Hospital Income and Short Term Recovery Insurance Plan, Call 1-800-233-5764 or visit us at www.narfeinsurance.com Request Number 074839-1-1-1 Hearing-impaired or voice-impaired members may call the Relay Line at 1-800-855-2881.
*This policy is guaranteed acceptance, but it does contain a Pre-Existing Conditions Limitation. All benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of the policy. Policies underwritten by Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company detail AR Insurance License #100102691 exclusions, limitations, reduction of benefits and terms under which the policies may be continued in full or discontinued. Plans may vary by state. CA Insurance License #OG39709 The Hartford® is The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., and its subsidiaries, In CA d/b/a Mercer Health & Benefits Insurance Services LLC including issuing company Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company. 74839 (10/16) Copyright 2016 Mercer LLC. All rights reserved. SRP-1151 A (HLA ) (5384)
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Presidential Candidate NARFE sent presidential candidate questionnaires to the nominees of the two major political parties: Hillary Clinton, Democratic Party, and Donald J. Trump, Republican Party, requesting they answer identical questions to get their views on key issues affecting federal employees and annuitants. NARFE does not endorse presidential candidates. The sole purpose of this questionnaire is to better inform NARFE members. The questions and Clinton’s unedited responses appear here. Despite repeated requests, the Trump campaign has not responded. If NARFE receives answers from Trump before the deadline for the November issue, narfe magazine will publish them in that issue.
FEDERAL PAY AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS
BACKGROUND: In the past five years, federal employees had their pay frozen for three years (2011-2013) and received a 1 percent raise in 2014 and 2015. The Employment Cost Index (ECI), which measures increases in private-sector wages and salaries, is used to determine annual raises for federal employees, absent action by Congress and/or the president. During the past five years, federal employees’ pay has increased by only 2 percent. Meanwhile, private-sector wages have risen 8.3 percent, and the cost of living has increased 11 percent. 24
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QUESTIONNAIRE Q. Generally, do you believe federal employees are compensated appropriately? If not, what would you do as president to alter federal employee pay? CLINTON: As Secretary of State, Senator, and First Lady, I have been proud to work alongside
the talented men and women of the federal workforce, and I have witnessed first-hand the vital contributions they make to our nation. I was serving as Secretary of State when federal salaries were frozen in 2011, and I saw how difficult it was for employees to be told that even though they were working hard and their living costs were going up, their paychecks were not. The government is not going to be able to recruit and retain the high-caliber employees it needs if it does not pay federal employees fairly for their work. As President, I would work to ensure that federal employees are paid fairly, including by providing appropriate pay raises. And I will oppose arbitrary, acrossthe-board pay freezes, retirement cuts, or cuts to other employee benefits. Federal employees have also been hit hard by Republican budget and debt ceiling brinksmanship, budget cuts, and sequester, which have led to lost pay and uncertainty due to furloughs and government shutdowns. This is not how our federal government should be run. Instead, we need to be smart about how we fund the government and ensure that we adequately support federal agencies in their work on behalf of working families. W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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Presidential Candidate QUESTIONNAIRE BACKGROUND: Federal employees hired before 2013 contribute 0.8 percent of their salary toward their retirement. Beginning in 2013, newly hired federal employees have had to pay more toward their retirement without any increase in benefits, as part of offsets for other budget priorities. Those hired in 2013 pay 3.1 percent; those hired in 2014 and beyond must pay 4.4 percent. Employees whose work is covered by Social Security must also contribute an additional 6.2 percent in payroll taxes, like privatesector employees. Q. Do you support or oppose a proposal that would increase retirement contributions from current or new federal employees without providing any enhanced benefit? CLINTON: It is unfair to require additional, arbitrary increases in retirement contributions as a backdoor pay-cut for federal workers. And it is critical that we continue to protect defined benefit plans that provide secure retirement benefits for workers in the private sector and public sector alike. BACKGROUND: Over the past five years, the federal community has been asked to sacrifice more than $120 billion toward deficit reduction, through a three-year pay freeze, two increases in retirement contributions for newly hired employees and sequestration-related furloughs. When you add in the lost wages from smaller pay raises than statutorily prescribed, the federal community has given $159 billion toward deficit reduction. The FY16 House and Senate budget resolutions assumed savings from additional cuts to the federal community. The House budget resolution specifically included more than $318 billion in cuts, including: · Increasing retirement contributions for all current employees; · Reducing the workforce through attrition; · Increasing employees’ and retirees’ Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) premiums by tying the government’s employer contribution to inflation; · Decreasing the rate of return on the Thrift Savings Plan’s Government Securities Fund (G Fund); · Increasing some federal retirees’ share of their health insurance premiums by basing the government contribution on their years of service; · Encouraging the total elimination of the defined benefit Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS); and 26
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· Eliminating the FERS Annuity Supplement. Q. Do you support or oppose cuts, like the ones outlined in the FY16 House budget resolution, to federal employees’ and retirees’ pay and benefits? Please specify which cuts you support or oppose. CLINTON: I believe in the importance of meeting our commitments to retired federal employees. As President, I will oppose acrossthe-board arbitrary pay freezes, retirement cuts, or cuts to other employee benefits. We need to compensate federal employees fairly for the work that they do for our nation, rather than pursue misguided, across-the-board cuts that hurt employee morale and make it harder for the federal government to recruit and retain the men and women we need in our nation’s service. We need to be smart about how we fund the government and ensure that we adequately support federal agencies in their work on behalf of working families. We must also be smart about how we pay for those priorities. Budgets Republicans have put forward that allegedly “balance” have almost no specifics on how they would pay for trillions in tax cuts tilted toward the wealthiest Americans. I will never stand for a budget that places the burden on the backs of hard-working families.
COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENTS
BACKGROUND: Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to federal civilian and military retirement annuities, as well as Social Security benefits, veterans’ benefits and disability benefits, currently are determined by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which is computed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) at the Department of Labor. The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (Chained CPI-U) is a different formula calculated by the BLS. A switch to the Chained CPI instead of the CPI-W would result in estimated yearly benefits 3 percent lower after 10 years, 6.2 percent lower after 20 years and 9.4 percent lower after 30 years. The Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) is another formula calculated by the BLS. It measures the costs experienced by Americans ages 62 and older. Notably, while health care accounts for about 12 percent of spending for those ages 62 and older, it accounts for only 5 percent of spending for the general population. A switch to using the CPI-E instead of the CPI-W would increase yearly benefits.
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Presidential Candidate QUESTIONNAIRE Q. Do you support or oppose changes to the manner in which cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for federal annuities are calculated? Which index would you recommend using? CLINTON: We need to keep defending the system for federal annuities, while enhancing it to meet new realities. Reforms must strengthen the program for those who most need it, not undercut benefits. That means I will oppose any plan — like a chained CPI — that relies on accounting gimmicks to reduce benefits. As President, I will work with NARFE to ensure COLAs are calculated with a fair and appropriate index and not use indexing as an excuse to arbitrarily cut benefits. HEALTH BENEFITS
BACKGROUND: The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) is the nation’s most efficiently administered and cost-effective employer-sponsored health insurance plan, providing coverage to federal employees, retirees and their spouses and dependents. Currently, the government provides a contribution equal to 72 percent of the weighted average of all plan premiums, and caps the contribution at 75 percent of any plan’s total premium, with the enrollee paying the remainder. Q. Do you support or oppose a proposal that would alter the government’s share of health insurance premiums for federal employees and retirees by shifting costs to those enrollees? CLINTON: We must be vigilant in blocking attempts to diminish and even eliminate the health coverage federal workers need and have earned. The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) provides coverage to more than 8 million federal employees, retirees, and their families. I believe we should be working to improve and ensure affordable health care coverage for our federal workers, not increasing prices or dismantling coverage for hard-working families. We need to do more to bring down health care costs for everyday Americans, including those in the FEHBP. The largest pharmaceutical companies are together earning $80-$90 billion per year in profits at higher margins than other industries, while charging Americans thousands of dollars for new drugs – often at much higher costs than in other developed nations. They’re receiving billions of dollars in taxpayer support for basic research, but spending more on marketing than R&D. I 28
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believe it is time to hold drug companies accountable to lower drug costs for Americans. We should stop direct-to-consumer drug company advertising subsidies, and reinvest funds in research. We should require drug companies that benefit from taxpayers’ support to invest in research, not marketing or profits. And we should increase competition for prescription drugs, including specialty drugs, to drive down prices and give consumers more choices. Where competition alone isn’t enough to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable and drive prices down, I believe that the federal government should use its leverage to negotiate and drive down drug and biologic prices. Together, these kind of changes will keep down costs for everyone, including federal workers.
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
BACKGROUND: There is a strong consensus in Congress that the U. S. Postal Service (USPS) is in need of legislative reform. Over the past several years, the USPS has reduced service standards, closed mail processing facilities and faced pressure to reduce the number of delivery days from six to five. Many of these cuts are driven by a congressional mandate that requires the USPS to prefund future retiree health benefits at a pace (100 percent, 75 years in advance) no other public or private sector company is required to do so. Without the prefunding requirement, the USPS is incurring operating profits. Q. Do you support or oppose reforming the United States Postal Service (USPS)? If supportive, what types of reforms would you recommend? CLINTON: I value the contributions of the U.S. Postal Service and would take steps to maintain its long-term viability. The Postal Service has been a steady source of good jobs and solid benefits for middle class families, and Americans across the country rely on the professionalism and dependability of the Postal Service every day. While in the Senate, I cosponsored legislation to protect city and rural letter carriers from having their work contracted out by the U.S. Postal Service to private firms, and as President, I would work with you to address the prefunding mandate’s unsustainable budgetary pressure on the post office’s operations and help strengthen the financial footing of the post office to ensure it continues to thrive in the 21st century.
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HOW THEY VOTED:
114th Congress SO THAT NARFE MEMBERS MAY BE AS INFORMED AS POSSIBLE about the representatives and senators seeking re-election to Congress, and how these legislators have represented the concerns of active and retired federal employees, we are publishing this compilation of voting of the 114th Congress (2015-2016). The vote descriptions below and on p. 30 refer to the votes in the scorecard on pp. 31-40.
KEY HOUSE VOTES, 114TH CONGRESS 2015 HOUSE VOTE #138, March 25, 2015
Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Resolution Substitute (H.Amdt. 3 to H.Con.Res 27) The fiscal year 2016 Republican Study Committee budget substitute would replace H.Con.Res. 27, the House fiscal year 2016 budget. This resolution switches to the Chained CPI in place of current law (CPI-W) to calculate Social Security, military retirement and federal civilian retirement cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). Rejected 132-294. NARFE opposed the bill, so a “nay” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2015 HOUSE VOTE #139, MARCH 25, 2015
Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Resolution Substitute (H.Amdt. 4 to H.Con.Res. 27) The fiscal year 2016 Democratic budget substitute would replace H.Con.Res. 27, the House fiscal year 2016 budget. This resolution would not implement cuts to the federal community and contains language promoting the hard work of federal employees. Rejected 160-264. NARFE supported the bill, so a “yea” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2015 HOUSE VOTE #142, MARCH 25, 2015
Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Resolution (H.Con.Res. 27) The resolution would implement several cuts to the federal community, including increasing Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) premiums for employees and retirees, decreasing the rate of return on the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) G Fund, and increasing retirement contributions for current employees, for a total of $318 billion in cuts. Adopted 228-199. NARFE opposed the bill, so a “nay” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2015 HOUSE VOTE #489, JULY 29, 2015
VA Accountability Act of 2015 (H.R. 1994) The legislation, introduced by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-FL, would remove employee due process protections for Department of Veterans Affairs employees, making it easier to fire them for any reason and limiting appeal rights. Passed 256-170. NARFE opposed the bill, so a “nay” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2015 HOUSE VOTE #528, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
(H.R. 719) The legislation provided fiscal year 2016 continuing funding through December 11, 2015, thereby avoiding a government shutdown. This continuing resolution did not contain any cuts to federal pay and
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benefits. Passed 277-151. NARFE supported the bill, so a “yea” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2015 HOUSE VOTE #575, OCTOBER 27, 2015
Retail Investor Protection Act (H.R. 1090) The legislation, introduced by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-MO, would prohibit the Department of Labor from finalizing a rule to ensure individuals saving for retirement are protected by a “best interest” standard when receiving investment advice, including when federal employees and retirees receive advice regarding rolling over their Thrift Savings Plan investments. Passed 245-186. NARFE opposed the bill, so a “nay” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2015 HOUSE VOTE #579, OCTOBER 28, 2015
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (H.R. 1314) A two-year budget deal to lift sequestration caps for fiscal year 2016 and fiscal year 2017 and raise the national debt limit. The bill also included a compromise fix to prevent the 52 percent increase to Medicare Part B premiums for those not held harmless. Passed 266167. NARFE supported the bill, so a “yea” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2015 HOUSE VOTE #705, DECEMBER 18, 2015 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (H.R. 2029) The legislation funds the government through October 1, 2016, thereby avoiding a government
shutdown. The bill also required the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to provide identity theft protection coverage for 10 years and identity theft insurance for up to $5 million in liability to those affected by the two data breaches at OPM. Passed 316113. NARFE supported the bill, so a “yea” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2016 HOUSE VOTE #176, APRIL 28, 2016
Disapproving DOL Fiduciary Rule (H.J. Res. 88) The resolution disapproves and nullifies the Department of Labor rule designed to ensure individuals saving for retirement are protected by a “best interest” standard when receiving investment advice, including when federal employees and retirees receive advice regarding rolling over their Thrift Savings Plan investments. Passed 234-183. NARFE opposed the resolution, so a “nay” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2016 HOUSE VOTE #376, JULY 7, 2016
Government Reform and Improvement Act (H.R. 4361) The legislation would extend the federal employee probationary period to two years, limit due process rights and require the Office of Personnel Management to provide additional reports on the use of “official time” by federal unions. Passed 241-181. NARFE opposed the bill, so a “nay” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
KEY SENATE VOTES, 114TH CONGRESS 2015 SENATE VOTE #135, MARCH 27, 2015
Senate Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Resolution (S. Con. Res 11) The resolution set spending levels for fiscal year 2016. It called for an increase in Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) premiums for employees and retirees, an increase in retirement contributions for current employees, and a reduction in size of the workforce by 10 percent. Adopted 52-46. NARFE opposed the resolution, so a “nay” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
CANDIDATES’ RECORDS Three of the four top candidates in the November elections have NARFE congressional voting records. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-VA, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, has a 100 percent record in his four years in the Senate (see p. 40). Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who served in the Senate from 2001-2009, also has a 100 percent lifetime record (nine votes scored during that time). Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence, who served in the House from 2001-2012, has a 0 percent NARFE lifetime voting record (28 scored votes). 30
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2015 SENATE VOTE #272, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 Continuing Appropriations (H.R. 719) See description of H.R. 719, House vote #528, in House section of this report. Passed 78-20. NARFE supported the bill, so a “yea” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2015 SENATE VOTE 294, OCTOBER 30, 2015 Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (H.R. 1314) See description of H.R. 1314, House vote #579, in House section of this report. Passed 64-35. NARFE supported the bill, so a “yea” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2015 SENATE VOTE 339, DECEMBER 18, 2015
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (H.R. 2029) See description of H.R. 2029, House vote #705, in House section of this report. Passed 65-33. NARFE supported the bill, so a “yea” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
2016 SENATE VOTE 84, MAY 24, 2016
Disapproving DOL Fiduciary Rule (H.J. Res. 88) See description of H.J. Res. 88, House vote #176, in House section of this report. Passed 56-41. NARFE opposed the bill, so a “nay” vote is in support of NARFE’s position.
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STATE BY STATE RECORD ON
KEY NARFE VOTES VOTE LEGEND P Voted for the NARFE-preferred position x Voted against the NARFE-preferred position NV Did Not Vote S Speaker of the House, rarely votes I Not yet elected when vote taken
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS Representatives’ names in black / Senators’ in blue AL At-Large representative R Retiring, not seeking re-election G Running for Governor S Representative running for Senate D Defeated in primary O Seeking other office * Senator whose term is expiring 2018 Senator whose term expires in 2018 2020 Senator whose term expires in 2020
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VOTE NUMBER: HOUSE SENATE Vote # 138 139 142 489 528 575 579 705 176 376 135 272 294 339 84 Date 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 %P %P ALABAMA 1 Byrne (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 2 Roby (R) x 10 19 P x x x x x x x x 3 Rogers, Mike D. (R) x x x x x x x 10 40 P x x 4 Aderholt (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 19 5 Brooks, M. (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 23 6 Palmer (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 7 Sewell (D) NV NV NV P P P P P P P 100 100 * Shelby (R) x x x x x 0 25 2020 Sessions, J. (R) x x x x x 0 13 ALASKA AL Young, D. (R) x 30 50 P x x x P x x P x * Murkowski (R) x P P P x 60 32 2020 Sullivan (R) x P x x x 20 20 ARIZONA 1 S Kirkpatrick (D) 80 87 P x P x P P P P P P 2 McSally (R) 50 50 P x P x P x P P x x 3 Grijalva (D) 90 98 P P P P P P P x P P 4 Gosar (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 8 5 R Salmon (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 7 6 Schweikert (R) x x P x x x x x x x 10 15 7 Gallego (D) 90 90 P P P P P P P x P P 8 Franks (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 7 9 Sinema (D) 90 84 P P P x P P P P P P * McCain (R) x P P x x 40 44 2018 Flake (R) x P x x x 20 25 ARKANSAS 1 Crawford (R) 22 36 P x P x x x x x NV x 2 Hill (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 10 3 Womack (R) x 40 35 P x x x P x P P x 4 Westerman (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 * Boozman (R) x x x x x 0 17 2020 Cotton (R) x x x x x 0 14 CALIFORNIA 1 LaMalfa (R) x x x x P x x x x x 10 11 2 Huffman (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 3 Garamendi (D) 100 89 P P P P P P P P P P 4 McClintock (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 6 5 Thompson, M. (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 6 Matsui (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 7 Bera (D) 80 79 P x P x P P P P P P 8 Cook (R) x 40 42 P x x x P x P P x W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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VOTE NUMBER: HOUSE SENATE Vote # 138 139 142 489 528 575 579 705 176 376 135 272 294 339 84 Date 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 %P %P 9 McNerney (D) 100 91 P P P P P P P P P P 10 Denham (R) x 40 31 P x x x P x P P x 11 DeSaulnier (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 12 Pelosi (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 13 Lee, B. (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 14 Speier (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 15 Swalwell (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 16 Costa (D) 70 89 P x P x P P P P P x 17 Honda (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 18 Eshoo (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 19 Lofgren (D) 90 91 P P P P P P P x P P 20 R Farr (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 21 Valadao (R) x 40 42 P x x x P x P P x 22 Nunes (R) x 40 33 P x x x P x P P x 23 McCarthy, K. (R) x x x x P x P P x x 30 28 24 R Capps (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 25 Knight (R) x 30 30 P x x x P x x P x 26 Brownley (D) 90 89 P x P P P P P P P P 27 Chu (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 28 Schiff (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 29 Cardenas (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 30 Sherman (D) 100 96 P P P P P P P P P P 31 Aguilar (D) 90 90 P P P x P P P P P P 32 Napolitano (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 33 Lieu (D) 90 90 P P P P P P P x P P 34 Becerra (D) 90 97 P P P P P P P x P P 35 Torres (D) NV P 100 100 P P P P P P P P 36 Ruiz (D) NV NV NV 100 87 P P P P P P P 37 Bass (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 38 Sanchez, Linda (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 39 Royce (R) x 40 13 P x x x P x P P x 40 Roybal-Allard (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 41 Takano (D) 90 94 P P P P P P P x P P 42 Calvert (R) x 40 30 P x x x P x P P x 43 Waters (D) 90 97 P P P P P P P x P P 44 O Hahn (D) 100 91 P P P P P P P P P P 45 Walters (R) x 40 40 P x x x P x P P x 46 S Sanchez, Loretta (D) 100 96 P P P P P P P P P P 47 Lowenthal (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 48 Rohrabacher (R) x x x x P x x x x x 10 13 49 Issa (R) 33 29 P x x x P x x P NV x 50 Hunter (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 10 51 Vargas (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 52 Peters, S. (D) 90 83 P P P x P P P P P P 53 Davis, S. (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P R Boxer (D) P P P NV P 100 98 2018 Feinstein (D) NV P P P P 100 83
COLORADO 1 DeGette (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2 Polis (D) 90 87 P P P P P P P x P P 3 Tipton (R) x x x x P x x x x x 10 20 4 Buck (R) x x P x x x x x x x 10 10 5 Lamborn (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 8 6 Coffman (R) x 30 26 P x x x P x x P x 7 Perlmutter (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P * Bennet (D) P P P P P 100 87 2020 Gardner (R) x P x P x 40 19
CONNECTICUT 1 Larson, J. (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2 Courtney (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 3 DeLauro (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 4 Himes (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 32
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VOTE NUMBER: HOUSE SENATE Vote # 138 139 142 489 528 575 579 705 176 376 135 272 294 339 84 Date 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 %P %P 5 Esty (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P * Blumenthal (D) P P P P P 100 100 2018 Murphy, C. (D) P P P P P 100 100 DELAWARE AL G Carney (D) NV 78 83 P x P P P P x P P 2018 Carper (D) P P P P NV 100 87 2020 Coons (D) P P P P P 100 100
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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AL Norton (D) I I I I I I I I I I 0 100
FLORIDA 1 R Miller, J. (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 13 2 R Graham (D) 80 80 P x P x P P P P P P 3 Yoho (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 5 4 R Crenshaw (R) x 40 36 P x x x P x P P x 5 Brown, C. (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 6 DeSantis (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 5 7 Mica (R) x 30 15 P x x x x x P P x 8 Posey (R) x 10 16 P x x x x x x x x 9 S Grayson (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 10 Webster (R) x 10 27 P x x x x x x x x 11 R Nugent (R) NV 22 24 P x x x x x x P x 12 Bilirakis (R) x 20 31 P x x x x x x P x 13 Jolly (R) x 50 58 P x P x P x P P x 14 Castor (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 15 Ross (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 12 16 Buchanan (R) NV 44 37 P x x x P x P P x 17 Rooney (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 16 18 S Murphy, P. (D) x P P P P P P P P 90 83 P 19 R Clawson (R) x x x NV x x x x x x 0 0 20 Hastings, A. (D) NV 100 98 P P P P P P P P P 21 Deutch (D) 100 96 P P P P P P P P P P 22 Frankel (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 23 Wasserman Schultz (D) P P P 100 97 P P P P P P P 24 Wilson, F. (D) NV P 100 100 P P P P P P P P 25 Diaz-Balart (R) x 40 35 P x x x P x P P x 26 Curbelo (R) x 40 40 P x x x P x P P x 27 Ros-Lehtinen (R) x 40 46 P x x x P x P P x * Rubio (R) x NV x NV x 0 10 2018 Nelson (D) P P P P P 100 100
GEORGIA 1 Carter, E. (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 10 2 Bishop, S. (D) 100 91 P P P P P P P P P P 3 R Westmoreland, L. (R) x x x x x x x P NV NV 13 17 4 Johnson, H. (D) 90 97 P P P P P P P x P P 5 Lewis (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 6 Price, T. (R) x 20 15 P x x x x x x P x 7 Woodall (R) x x x x P x x P x x 20 15 8 Scott, A. (R) x x x x P x x P x x 20 23 9 Collins, D. (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 17 10 Hice (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 11 Loudermilk (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 10 12 Allen (R) x 20 20 P x x x x x x P x 13 Scott, D. (D) 90 96 P P P P P x P P P P 14 Graves, T. (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 12 * Isakson (R) x P x P x 40 17 2020 Perdue (R) x P x P x 40 40
HAWAII 1 VACANT 2 Gabbard (D) 90 94 P P P x P P P P P P * Schatz (D) P P P P P 100 100 2018 Hirono (D) P P P P P 100 100 W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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HOW THEY VOTED:
114th Congress SPECIAL PULLOUT SECTION
114th Congress
Lifetime
VOTE NUMBER: HOUSE SENATE Vote # 138 139 142 489 528 575 579 705 176 376 135 272 294 339 84 Date 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 %P %P
IDAHO 1 Labrador (R) x x P NV x x x x x x 11 13 2 Simpson (R) x 40 33 P x x x P x P P x * Crapo (R) x x x x x 0 4 2020 Risch (R) x x x x x 0 0 ILLINOIS 1 Rush (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 2 Kelly, R. (D) NV 100 100 P P P P P P P P P 3 Lipinski (D) 90 92 P x P P P P P P P P 4 Gutierrez (D) 89 96 P P P P P P P x NV P 5 Quigley (D) 100 93 P P P P P P P P P P 6 Roskam (R) x 22 29 P x x x x NV x P x 7 Davis, D. (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 8 S Duckworth (D) 90 94 P P P x P P P P P P 9 Schakowsky (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 10 Dold (R) x 40 40 P x x x P x P P x 11 Foster (D) 100 92 P P P P P P P P P P 12 Bost (R) NV 44 44 P x x x P x P P x 13 Davis, R. (R) x 40 47 P x x x P x P P x 14 Hultgren (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 8 15 Shimkus (R) x x x x P x x P x x 20 31 16 Kinzinger (R) x 40 38 P x x x P x P P x 17 Bustos (D) 80 83 P x P x P P P P P P 18 LaHood (R) I I I I x x x x x x 0 0 * Kirk (R) x P P P x 60 56 2020 Durbin (D) P P P P P 100 97
INDIANA 1 Visclosky (D) 90 93 P x P P P P P P P P 2 Walorski (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 21 3 D Stutzman (R) x x x x x x x x NV x 0 4 4 Rokita (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 8 5 Brooks, S. (R) x 44 44 P x x NV P x P P x 6 Messer (R) x x x x x x x 20 16 P P x 7 Carson (D) 90 97 P P P x P P P P P P 8 Bucshon (R) x 20 15 P x x x x x x P x 9 S Young, T. (R) x 10 23 P x x x x x x x x R Coats (R) x x x P x 20 38 2018 Donnelly (D) P P P P x 80 88 IOWA 1 Blum (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 2 Loebsack (D) 100 91 P P P P P P P P P P 3 Young, D. (R) x 20 20 P x x x P x x x x 4 King, S. (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 9 * Grassley (R) x P x x x 20 27 2020 Ernst (R) x P x x x 20 20 KANSAS 1 D Huelskamp (R) x x P x x x x x x x 10 15 2 Jenkins (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 19 3 Yoder (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 8 4 Pompeo (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 8 * Moran, Jerry (R) x x x x x 0 17 2020 Roberts (R) x P P P x 60 23 KENTUCKY 1 R Whitfield (R) NV 25 32 P x x x P NV x x x 2 Guthrie (R) x x x x x x P P x x 20 29 3 Yarmuth (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 4 Massie (R) x x P x x x x x NV x 11 30 5 Rogers, H. (R) x 40 41 P x x x P x P P x 6 Barr (R) x x x x x x x 20 26 P P x * Paul (R) P x x x x 20 25 2020 McConnell (R) x P P P x 60 30 34
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VOTE NUMBER: HOUSE SENATE Vote # 138 139 142 489 528 575 579 705 176 376 135 272 294 339 84 Date 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 %P %P LOUISIANA 1 Scalise (R) x x x x P x x 30 18 P P x 2 Richmond (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 3 S Boustany (R) x 10 22 P x x x x x x x x 4 S Fleming (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 10 5 Abraham (R) x x x x x x 10 10 P x x x 6 Graves (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 R Vitter (R) x x NV x x 0 11 2020 Cassidy (R) x P x x x 20 19 MAINE 1 Pingree (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2 Poliquin (R) x 40 40 P x x x P x P P x 2018 King, A. (I) P P P P P 100 100 2020 Collins (R) x P P P x 60 71 MARYLAND 1 Harris (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 12 2 Ruppersberger (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 3 Sarbanes (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 4 D Edwards (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 5 Hoyer (D) 100 95 P P P P P P P P P P 6 Delaney (D) NV 100 100 P P P P P P P P P 7 Cummings (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 8 S Van Hollen (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P R Mikulski (D) NV P P P P 100 92 2018 Cardin (D) P P P P P 100 100
SPECIAL PULLOUT SECTION
MASSACHUSETTS 1 Neal (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 2 McGovern (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 3 Tsongas (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 4 Kennedy (D) NV 100 100 P P P P P P P P P 5 Clark, K. (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 6 Moulton (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 7 Capuano (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 8 Lynch (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 9 Keating (D) 100 96 P P P P P P P P P P 2018 Warren (D) P P P P P 100 100 2020 Markey (D) P P P x P 80 83
MICHIGAN 1 R Benishek (R) x 40 31 P x x x P x P P x 2 Huizenga (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 8 3 Amash (R) x x P x x x x x x x 10 27 4 Moolenaar (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 10 5 Kildee (D) NV 100 100 P P P P P P P P P 6 Upton (R) x 40 42 P x x x P x P P x 7 Walberg (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 16 8 Bishop (R) x x x x P x x P x x 20 20 9 Levin (D) NV 100 92 P P P P P P P P P 10 O Miller, C. (R) x 40 37 P x x x P x P P x 11 Trott (R) x x x x P x x P x x 20 20 12 Dingell (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 13 Conyers (D) 100 96 P P P P P P P P P P 14 Lawrence (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2018 Stabenow (D) P P P P P 100 100 2020 Peters, G. (D) P P P P P 100 96 MINNESOTA 1 Walz (D) 100 91 P P P P P P P P P P 2 R Kline, J. (R) x x x x P x P P x x 30 22 3 Paulsen (R) x 30 27 P x x x P x x P x 4 McCollum (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 5 Ellison (D) 90 97 P P P P P P P x P P 6 Emmer (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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HOW THEY VOTED:
114th Congress SPECIAL PULLOUT SECTION
114th Congress
Lifetime
VOTE NUMBER: HOUSE SENATE Vote # 138 139 142 489 528 575 579 705 176 376 135 272 294 339 84 Date 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 %P %P 7 Peterson (D) 80 80 P x P P P P P P P x 8 Nolan (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2018 Klobuchar (D) P P P P P 100 100 2020 Franken (D) P P P P P 100 100 MISSISSIPPI 1 Kelly, T. (R) I I I x x x x P x x 14 14 2 Thompson, B. (D) 90 95 P P P P P P P x P P 3 Harper (R) x 30 29 P x x x x x P P x 4 Palazzo (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 12 2018 Wicker (R) x P P P x 60 31 2020 Cochran (R) x P P P x 60 31 MISSOURI 1 Clay (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2 Wagner (R) x 20 26 P x x x x x x P x 3 Luetkemeyer (R) x 30 26 P x x x x x P P x 4 Hartzler (R) x x x x x x x 20 15 P P x 5 Cleaver (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 6 Graves, S. (R) x x x x x x x P NV x 11 28 7 Long (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 4 8 Smith, J. (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 6 * Blunt (R) x x x P x 20 25 2018 McCaskill (D) P P P x P 80 67 MONTANA AL Zinke (R) x 30 30 P x x x P x x P x 2018 Tester (D) P P P x x 60 83 2020 Daines (R) x P x x x 20 36 NEBRASKA 1 Fortenberry (R) x 20 37 P x x x x x P x x 2 Ashford (D) 70 70 P x P x P x P P P P 3 Smith, Adrian (R) x x x x P x x x x x 10 14 2018 Fischer (R) x P x x x 20 25 2020 Sasse (R) x x x x x 0 0
NEVADA 1 Titus (D) 100 96 P P P P P P P P P P 2 Amodei (R) x P x x x x x 20 13 P x x 3 S Heck, J. (R) x 20 38 P x x x P x x x x 4 Hardy (R) x 20 20 P x x x P x x x x R Reid, H. (D) P P P P P 100 92 2018 Heller (R) x x x P x 20 36 NEW HAMPSHIRE 1 Guinta (R) x x x x x x 10 10 P x x x 2 Kuster (D) 80 83 P x P x P P P P P P * Ayotte (R) x P P P x 60 33 2020 Shaheen (D) P P P P P 100 93 NEW JERSEY 1 Norcross (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2 LoBiondo (R) x 50 66 P x P x P x P P x 3 MacArthur (R) 44 44 P x x x P x P P NV x 4 Smith, C. (R) x 20 59 P x x x x x x P x 5 Garrett (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 11 6 Pallone (D) 100 88 P P P P P P P P P P 7 Lance (R) x x x x P x x x x x 10 29 8 Sires (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 9 Pascrell (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 10 Payne (D) NV NV NV 100 100 P P P P P P P 11 Frelinghuysen (R) x 40 41 P x x x P x P P x 12 Watson Coleman (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2018 Menendez (D) P P P P P 100 100 2020 Booker (D) P P P P P 100 100 36
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VOTE NUMBER: HOUSE SENATE Vote # 138 139 142 489 528 575 579 705 176 376 135 272 294 339 84 Date 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 %P %P
SPECIAL PULLOUT SECTION
NEW MEXICO 1 Lujan Grisham, M. (D) NV 100 100 P P P P P P P P P 2 Pearce (R) x 20 28 P x x x x x x P x 3 Lujan, B. (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 2018 Heinrich (D) P P P P P 100 100 2020 Udall (D) P P P P P 100 100
NEW YORK 1 Zeldin (R) x 30 30 P x x x P x x P x 2 King, P. (R) x 40 46 P x x x P x P P x 3 R Israel (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 4 Rice (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 5 Meeks, G. (D) NV 100 100 P P P P P NV P P P 6 Meng (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 7 Velazquez (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 8 Jeffries (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 9 Clarke, Y. (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 10 Nadler (D) NV 100 97 P P P P P P P P P 11 Donovan (R) I I I x P x P P x x 43 43 12 Maloney, C. (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 13 R Rangel (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 14 Crowley (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 15 Serrano (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 16 Engel (D) 100 96 P P P P P P P P P P 17 Lowey (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 18 Maloney, S. (D) 80 84 P x P x P P P P P P 19 R Gibson, C. (R) x 50 62 P x P x P x P P x 20 Tonko (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 21 Stefanik (R) x 40 40 P x x x P x P P x 22 R Hanna (R) 44 36 P x x x P x P P NV x 23 Reed, T. (R) x 40 27 P x x x P x P P x 24 Katko (R) x 50 50 P x P x P x P P x 25 Slaughter (D) 100 99 P P P P P P P P P P 26 Higgins (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 27 Collins, C. (R) 50 41 P NV x x P x P P NV x * Schumer (D) P P P P P 100 100 2018 Gillibrand (D) P P P P P 100 100
NORTH CAROLINA 1 Butterfield (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2 D Ellmers (R) x x x x x x x P x NV 11 16 3 Jones (R) x x x x 30 47 P x P x x P 4 Price, D. (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 5 Foxx (R) x 20 21 P x x x x x x P x 6 Walker (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 7 Rouzer (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 10 8 Hudson (R) x x x x NV x NV x x x 0 6 9 Pittenger (R) x x x x x x x 20 17 P P x 10 McHenry (R) x x x x P x x 30 21 P P x 11 Meadows (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 5 12 Adams (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 13 Holding (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 5 * Burr (R) x x x x x 0 11 2020 Tillis (R) x P P P x 60 60
NORTH DAKOTA AL Cramer (R) x 40 42 P x x x P x P P x * Hoeven (R) x P x P x 40 25 2018 Heitkamp (D) P P P P x 80 88 OHIO 1 Chabot (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 11 2 Wenstrup (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 5 3 Beatty (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 4 Jordan (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 3 W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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HOW THEY VOTED:
114th Congress SPECIAL PULLOUT SECTION
114th Congress
Lifetime
VOTE NUMBER: HOUSE SENATE Vote # 138 139 142 489 528 575 579 705 176 376 135 272 294 339 84 Date 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 %P %P 5 Latta (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 15 6 Johnson, B. (R) x 40 27 P x x x P x P P x 7 Gibbs, B. (R) x 10 15 P x x x x x x x x 8 Davidson (R) I I I I I I I I I x 0 0 9 Kaptur (D) 100 90 P P P P P P P P P P 10 Turner (R) NV 44 42 P x x x P x P P x 11 Fudge (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 12 Tiberi (R) x 40 36 P x x x P x P P x 13 Ryan, T. (D) 100 96 P P P P P P P P P P 14 Joyce (R) x 40 47 P x x x P x P P x 15 Stivers (R) x 40 31 P x x x P x P P x 16 Renacci (R) x P x x 20 16 P x x x x x * Portman (R) x P x x x 20 19 2018 Brown, S. (D) P P P P P 100 100 OKLAHOMA 1 Bridenstine (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 11 2 Mullin (R) x x x x P x x P x x 20 26 3 Lucas (R) x 40 32 P x x x P x P P x 4 Cole (R) x 40 30 P x x x P x P P x 5 Russell (R) x 20 20 P x x x x x x P x * Lankford (R) x x x P x 20 19 2020 Inhofe (R) x x x P x 20 15 OREGON 1 Bonamici (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2 Walden (R) x 40 31 P x x x P x P P x 3 Blumenauer (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 4 DeFazio (D) 90 89 P x P P P P P P P P 5 Schrader (D) 80 90 P x P P P P P x P P * Wyden (D) P P P x P 80 91 2020 Merkley (D) P P P x P 80 93 PENNSYLVANIA 1 Brady, R. (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2 VACANT 3 Kelly, M. (R) x 10 23 P x x x x x x x x 4 Perry (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 6 5 Thompson, G. (R) x 40 39 P x x x P x P P x 6 Costello (R) x 40 40 P x x x P x P P x 7 Meehan (R) x 40 38 P x x P P x P x x 8 R Fitzpatrick (R) x 40 48 P x x x P x P P x 9 Shuster (R) x 20 27 P x x x x x P x x 10 Marino (R) x 10 27 P x x x x x x x x 11 Barletta (R) x 20 35 P x x x P x x x x 12 Rothfus (R) P x x x x x x x NV x 11 22 13 Boyle (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 14 Doyle (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 15 Dent (R) x 40 46 P x x x P x P P x 16 R Pitts (R) x x x x P x x P x x 20 17 17 Cartwright (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 18 Murphy, T. (R) x 20 46 P x x x x x x P x * Toomey (R) x x x x x 0 8 2018 Casey (D) P P P P P 100 100 RHODE ISLAND 1 Cicilline (D) 100 96 P P P P P P P P P P 2 Langevin (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 2018 Whitehouse (D) P P P P P 100 100 2020 Reed, J. (D) P P P P P 100 97 SOUTH CAROLINA 1 Sanford (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 20 2 Wilson, J. (R) x x x x x x x 20 14 P P x 3 Duncan, Jeff (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 4 38
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VOTE NUMBER: HOUSE SENATE Vote # 138 139 142 489 528 575 579 705 176 376 135 272 294 339 84 Date 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 %P %P 4 Gowdy (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 4 5 Mulvaney (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 4 6 Clyburn (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 7 Rice (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 16 * Scott, T. (R) x x x x x 0 0 2020 Graham (R) x NV P P x 50 25 SOUTH DAKOTA AL Noem (R) x 30 28 P x x x P x x P x * Thune (R) x P P x x 40 26 2020 Rounds (R) x P P P x 60 60
SPECIAL PULLOUT SECTION
TENNESSEE 1 Roe (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 13 2 Duncan, John (R) x x x x 10 24 P x x x x x 3 Fleischmann (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 12 4 DesJarlais (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 12 5 Cooper (D) 80 83 P x P P P P P P P x 6 Black, D. (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 4 7 Blackburn, M. (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 11 8 R Fincher (R) x x x x x x x NV NV x 0 13 9 Cohen (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 2018 Corker (R) x P x P x 40 39 2020 Alexander, L. (R) x P P P x 60 32 TEXAS 1 Gohmert (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 21 2 Poe (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 15 3 Johnson, S. (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 8 4 Ratcliffe (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 5 Hensarling (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 7 6 Barton (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 22 7 Culberson (R) x 33 19 P x x x NV x P P x 8 Brady, K. (R) x x x x NV x x 22 12 P P x 9 Green, A. (D) 90 95 P P P P P P P P P x 10 McCaul (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 18 11 Conaway (R) x x x x x x x 20 18 P P x 12 Granger (R) x P x x x x x 30 27 P P x 13 Thornberry (R) x x x x P x P P x x 30 19 14 Weber (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 11 15 R Hinojosa (D) NV NV NV 100 100 P P P P P P P 16 O’Rourke (D) NV NV NV 100 100 P P P P P P P 17 Flores (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 12 18 Jackson Lee (D) 100 98 P P P P P P P P P P 19 R Neugebauer (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 11 20 Castro (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 21 Smith, Lamar (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 33 22 Olson (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 13 23 Hurd (R) x 30 30 P x x x P x x P x 24 Marchant (R) x x x x x P x P x x 20 18 25 Williams (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 5 26 Burgess (R) x NV x x x x x P x x 11 20 27 Farenthold (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 12 28 Cuellar (D) 70 91 P x P x P P P P P x 29 Green, G. (D) 100 92 P P P P P P P P P P 30 Johnson, E. (D) NV 100 98 P P P P P P P P P 31 Carter, J. (R) x x x NV x x x 22 16 P P x 32 Sessions, P. (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 13 33 Veasey (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 34 Vela (D) 90 94 P P P x P P P P P P 35 Doggett (D) 90 98 P P P P P P P x P P 36 Babin (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 2018 Cruz (R) P x x x NV 25 29 2020 Cornyn (R) x P P P x 60 27
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HOW THEY VOTED:
114th Congress SPECIAL PULLOUT SECTION
114th Congress
Lifetime
VOTE NUMBER: HOUSE SENATE Vote # 138 139 142 489 528 575 579 705 176 376 135 272 294 339 84 Date 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 %P %P UTAH 1 Bishop, R. (R) x x x x x x x P x 20 30 P 2 Stewart (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 21 3 Chaffetz (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 16 4 Love (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 10 * Lee, M. (R) x x x x x 0 25 2018 Hatch (R) x P P P x 60 32
VERMONT AL Welch (D) 90 97 P P P P P P P x P P * Leahy (D) P P P P P 100 90 2018 Sanders (I) P P P x NV 75 94
VIRGINIA 1 Wittman (R) x 10 41 P x x x x x x x x 2 R Rigell (R) x 40 35 P x x x P x P P x 3 Scott, R. (D) 100 93 P P P P P P P P P P 4 D Forbes (R) x 10 35 P x x x x x x x x 5 R Hurt (R) x 10 19 P x x x x x x x x 6 Goodlatte (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 15 7 Brat (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 0 8 Beyer (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 9 Griffith (R) x 10 15 P x x x x x x x x 10 Comstock (R) 60 60 P x P x P x P P x P 11 Connolly (D) 100 97 P P P P P P P P P P 2020 Warner (D) P P P P P 100 87 O Kaine (D) P P P P P 100 100 WASHINGTON 1 DelBene (D) 100 90 P P P P P P P P P P 2 Larsen, R. (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 3 Herrera Beutler (R) x P x x 30 38 P x x x P x 4 Newhouse (R) x 30 30 P x x x P x x P x 5 McMorris Rodgers (R) x x x x P x P P x x 30 26 6 Kilmer (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P 7 R McDermott (D) 90 95 P P P P P P P x P P 8 Reichert (R) x 33 49 P x x x NV x P P x 9 Smith, Adam (D) NV NV NV 100 92 P P P P P P P 10 Heck, D. (D) 100 100 P P P P P P P P P P * Murray (D) P P P P P 100 100 2018 Cantwell (D) P P P P P 100 100
WEST VIRGINIA 1 McKinley (R) x 30 54 P x P x P x x x x 2 Mooney (R) x 10 10 P x x x x x x x x 3 Jenkins (R) x 30 30 P x x x P x x P x 2018 Manchin (D) P P P x P 80 83 2020 Capito (R) x P P P x 60 67 WISCONSIN 1 Ryan, P. (R) x x x x P x S S 38 18 P P 2 Pocan (D) 90 94 P P P P P P P x P P 3 Kind (D) 90 96 P x P P P P P P P P 4 Moore (D ) NV P 100 100 P P P P P P P P 5 Sensenbrenner (R) x x P x x x x P x x 20 18 6 Grothman (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 10 7 Duffy (R) x 20 19 P x x x x x x P x 8 R Ribble (R) x x x x x x x P x x 10 19 * Johnson, R. (R) x P x P x 40 25 2018 Baldwin (D) P P P P P 100 100
40
WYOMING AL R Lummis (R) x x x x x x x x x x 0 7 2018 Barrasso (R) x P P P x 60 25 2020 Enzi (R) x P x x x 20 10
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Cover Story
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By Tammy Flanagan
W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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45
The
T hings You Can Change After Retirement
the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) – created by Congress in 2004 – nor the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) – established by a law passed in 2000 – were options. Today’s retirees, especially those covered under the newer Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), have more choices than my Uncle Steve ever had. They have the TSP, FEDVIP, FLTCIP – and Social Security. They also are more mobile and may move to a new town, a different state or even out of the country. They may divorce and remarry in retirement. And they may be in a higher tax bracket than retirees from the previous generation. So it is important for today’s retirees to make sure that their benefits keep up with all of these changes in their lives. For many, life after retirement may last as long – or longer – than their federal careers. After feds have said their goodbyes to their colleagues and packed up the contents of their office, they should be aware of the five major things they can change after they retire: their address, insurance coverage, annuity benefits, TSP and taxes. They also should know that making changes will require them to contact several different federal agencies. The big three are the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the TSP. Making changes may require completing a form, writing a letter, notifying an agency online, making a phone call or going to a face-to-face appointment – or a combination of several methods. See the chart on p. 47 for the way to make each connection.
ADDRESS
In my opinion, keeping your address up to date is the single most important thing retirees can do. Changing your contact information – including your residence address, email address and phone number – when you move is critical to avoid missing out on important communications. This can include finding out about open enrollment events and avoiding penalties, such as missing the deadline for required minimum distributions from the TSP after age 70½. 46
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I’ll never forget meeting a widow who thought that her husband had elected only a six-month survivor benefit for her upon his death. She said that the benefit had stopped shortly after she had moved, about six months after he had passed away. Unfortunately, what had happened was that she had failed to notify OPM of her new address. Consequently, OPM was not able to locate her and suspended her payments. It wasn’t until six years later, when she contacted OPM after learning that the survivor annuity should have continued, that she received her payments, retroactively. Now, at age 90, she continues to receive her lifetime survivor annuity. In addition to keeping OPM in the know, you also should make sure your address is current with: your financial institution, TSP, BENEFEDS if you have federal vision and/or dental insurance under FEDVIP, your FEHBP health plan, the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program, and your state tax authority if you move out of state.
INSURANCE
Retirees should know what changes they can make in their insurance coverage, and when. As a retiree, you can participate in the annual Federal Benefits Open Season to make changes to your FEHBP health insurance coverage. Qualifying for Medicare, acquiring a chronic illness or needing an expensive prescription drug would be reasons for re-evaluating your health plan. Moving out of a health plan’s service area is another reason for changing your insurance coverage. In addition, the death, retirement of, or divorce from a spouse, or the addition of a new spouse, could be a reason to make a change. Retirees covered under TRICARE (the health care program for active duty and retired military service members), Medicare Advantage plans or the Peace Corps health plan also may choose to suspend, rather than cancel, their FEHBP coverage. During Open Season, retirees also may add, change or cancel FEDVIP dental and/or vision coverage. Qualifying Life Events (QLEs), which allow
AGENCY:
CONTACT BY: PHONE
888-767-6738; TTY: 855-887-4957 The call volume is high at OPM. To avoid Hearing impaired users may use the Federal longer than necessary wait times, try callRelay Service by dialing 800-877-8339 to ing early in the morning. reach a Communications Assistant (CA). The CA will dial the requested number and relay the conversation between a standard (voice) telephone user and text telephone (TTY) user.
U.S. Office of Personnel Management Retirement Operations Center P.O. Box 45 Boyers, PA 16017
Check OPM’s website to learn more about the proper procedure for reporting changes: www.opm.gov/retirementservices/my-annuity-and-benefits/lifeevents/
www.servicesonline.opm.gov/
Services Online can be used for changing address, tax withholding and many other routine transactions.
OFFICE
U.S. Office of Personnel Management 1900 E Street, NW Room 1323 Washington, DC 20415 7:40 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. ET Friday
Although OPM maintains a “walk-up” window at OPM Headquarters, most transactions can be accomplished online or by mail.
PHONE
800-772-1213, 7 a.m.-7 P.M. Deaf or hard of hearing, call toll-free TTY number 800-3250778.
Call volume at Social Security is high, and it is best to call early in the morning.
Social Security Administration Office of Public Inquiries 1100 West High Rise 6401 Security Blvd. Baltimore, MD 21235
Do not send applications or documents needed to request a Social Security number or benefits to this address. If you are unsure where to send these materials, call the toll-free number or contact your local Social Security office.
INTERNET
www.ssa.gov/
Many Social Security transactions, including applying for Social Security and Medicare, can be accomplished online. Setting up a “my Social Security” account provides access to your personal benefits statement online.
LOCAL OFFICE
www.ssa.gov. On Frequently Asked Questions page, enter “local office” in search box.
It is best to call the 800 number to see if you are able to set up an appointment for the service you are requesting before visiting.
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT INTERNET
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
NOTES:
800-772-1213
THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN
PHONE
TSP-YOU-FRST (877-968-3778); TDD: TSP-THRIFT5 (877-847-4385) for hearing-impaired participants International callers who cannot use the tollfree number should call 404-233-4400 (not toll free).
Automated response 24/7; speak to a representative from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. ET, Monday-Friday. Press 3 to speak to a Participant Service Representative (PSR) when calling the ThriftLine. PSRs handle questions about loans, contribution allocations, interfund transfers, designations of beneficiaries and withdrawals.
General Correspondence: Thrift Savings Plan P.O. Box 385021 Birmingham, AL 35238
There are specific addresses for the type of change you are reporting. Be sure to use the correct address for your forms or correspondence: www.tsp.gov/ ParticipantSupport/Content/contact/ sendingFaxMail.html
INTERNET
www.tsp.gov
TSP has provided a website orientation if needed: www.tsp.gov/Participant Support/Content/index.html W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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47
The
T hings You Can Change After Retirement
other-than-Open Season changes under both FEHBP and FEDVIP, may or may not be the same for both programs. It’s also important to know that you don’t have to be enrolled in (just eligible for) FEHBP to enroll in FEDVIP. Retirees, their spouses and adult children may enroll in, make changes to or activate their FLTCIP long-term care coverage during retirement. Retirees also may reduce or cancel their federal life insurance policy after they retire if it is no longer needed or becomes too expensive. (Caution: Cancellation is permanent.) Retirees are not permitted to increase their life insurance coverage under FEGLI. You can change your beneficiary at any time.
ANNUITY BENEFITS
There are many key life events after retirement that can require a change in your federal annuity benefits. • If you marry after you retire, you have two years from the date of the marriage to elect a survivor annuity for your new spouse under both CSRS and FERS. Think of it as a two-year test drive to be sure it is going to work out because electing a survivor benefit will cause a permanent reduction to your CSRS or FERS annuity. You must send OPM a copy of the marriage certificate; OPM then will provide you with your options for full or partial survivor benefit elections. Generally, the benefit will be effective after the marriage has lasted nine months. Self Plus One or Self and Family FEHBP and FEDVIP coverage may be elected up to 30 days before the date of the marriage or up to 60 days after the marriage or during any Open Season period. Also, be sure to update your beneficiary designation forms accordingly for TSP, FEGLI, and CSRS or FERS. • Ending a marriage also can call for changes in your annuity benefits. The election you made at retirement for a survivor annuity will be void if your marriage ends in divorce after retirement. To continue the survivor election or to provide a former spouse a portion of your retirement benefit, it must be spelled out in the divorce decree or court order. This document must be submitted to 48
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OPM and approved as a “court order acceptable for processing.” Your former spouse will not be permitted to remain covered under your FEHBP plan, but may have spouse equity rights to his or her own FEHBP coverage. There also may be a division of your TSP balance and assignment of your FEGLI coverage as a result of the divorce. Your earned Social Security retirement will not be affected; however, your former spouse may have rights to former spouse benefits based on your work record if you were married more than 10 years. • Upon the death of a spouse, former spouse or insurable interest individual, your unreduced CSRS or FERS annuity can be restored. You must notify OPM and provide a copy of the death certificate. This also may be a time to change your FEHBP enrollment from Self Plus One or Self and Family to Self Only. You also may decide to reduce your FEGLI life insurance or change your beneficiary designation. • It is more common than ever before for grandparents to adopt or become the legal guardians of their grandchildren, or for retirees to become parents. (Look at Mick Jagger, who became a parent at age 72!) Your children may be entitled to dependent children’s benefits, based on your Social Security work record, until they graduate high school or reach age 19. In addition, you may need to add a family member to your FEHBP enrollment. Although retirees may not increase their federal life insurance coverage, you may need to change your FEGLI beneficiary designation. Upon the death of a parent of a dependent child, there also may be a children’s survivor annuity payable under CSRS, FERS and Social Security.
TSP
You managed the accumulation of your TSP funds throughout your career, now it’s time to manage their disbursement. In retirement, you no longer can add to your TSP account by making new contributions, although you can transfer or roll over money from an IRA or other eligible retirement plan into your TSP account. You also no longer will be able to borrow from the TSP. But there are a variety of options available when the time comes to make
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The
T hings You Can Change After Retirement
a withdrawal decision. Although it may be prudent to consult a financial planning professional, retirees also can use the TSP’s online Retirement Income Calculator to evaluate their various withdrawal options. When hiring a financial professional, retirees can use another online tool, www. tsp.gov/keepingscore/index.html, to see how a recommended plan compares with the TSP.
TAXES
There are some people who think that moving from employment to retirement means paying no more taxes. Unfortunately, that is seldom true. The only people who don’t pay income taxes in retirement are those who don’t have much income in retirement. Fortunately, that isn’t the typical federal retiree. However, retirees no longer have to pay the Medicare tax (1.45 percent) or the FICA tax (6.2 percent) – unless they continue to work. Since federal employees contribute after-tax earnings to their retirement, a small portion of your annuity income will be tax free, because you are “recovering” your previously taxed contributions. The tax-free portion is computed using the so-called “simplified method,” which is described in IRS Publication 721: “Tax Guide to U.S. Civil Service Retirement Benefits”(www.irs.gov/pub/ irs-pdf/p721.pdf). But the majority of the payment is taxable on the federal level and in many states. In its April issue, narfe magazine publishes a helpful guide to taxation of federal annuities by state. For the latest guide, see www.narfe.org/pdf/ StateTaxRoundupTaxYear2015.pdf.
VIEW THE WEBINAR FOR MORE INFO! The NARFE Federal Benefits Institute has a one-hour webinar on this topic available to members. Presenter Tammy Flanagan provides additional details about all five of the items discussed in this story. Go to www.narfe.org, log in, then click on the NARFE Federal Benefits Institute banner in the middle of the page.
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Most states exempt Social Security benefits from income tax, but those retirees with incomes above a certain level must pay tax on some of their Social Security benefits on the federal level. For more information, see “Income Taxes and Your Social Security Benefit” at www.ssa.gov/planners/ taxes.html. Most withdrawals from Roth IRA’s, Roth TSP accounts and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) (when used to pay qualified medical expenses) are tax free. But other retirement savings withdrawals, such as those from traditional IRAs and TSP accounts, are taxed on the federal level as well as on the state level in most states. (TSP only withholds federal tax.) For more detailed information, see the TSP Publication “Important Tax Information About Payments from Your TSP Account” at www.tsp.gov/PDF/formspubs/tsp-536.pdf. Adjusted gross income can impact the premium that you pay for Medicare Part B, so take care when crossing the threshold to the next marginal tax bracket. Retirees who are not covered by other health insurance (including Medicare) may continue to contribute tax-free dollars to HSAs. However, retirees no longer participate in the premium conversion benefits that allow federal employees to pay their FEHBP premiums with pre-tax dollars and out-of-pocket health care expenses with flexible spending account dollars.
ONE MORE THING
There is one last thing I recommend you keep up to date. NARFE offers a “Be Prepared for Life’s Events” guide, fillable and downloadable from the NARFE website (www.narfe.org, log in, then select “Be Prepared” under “Resources” on the left) that can help you organize your personal and financial information in one location so your survivors will have the information they will need to handle your affairs upon your death. Please download it, fill it out and keep it current. –TAMMY FLANAGAN IS NARFE FEDERAL BENEFITS INSTITUTE WEBINAR PRESENTER; MANAGER OF TAMMY FLANAGAN, LLC, AND SENIOR BENEFITS DIRECTOR AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TRANSITION PLANNING, INC. SHE CONDUCTS RETIREMENT TRAINING AT FEDERAL AGENCIES, WRITES A WEEKLY COLUMN CALLED “RETIREMENT PLANNING” FOR WWW.GOVEXEC.COM AND IS A FREQUENT GUEST ON FEDERAL NEWS RADIO.
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Health benefits and health insurance plans are offered and/or underwritten by Aetna Life Insurance Company (Aetna) and its affiliates. This is a brief description of the features of this Aetna health benefits plan. Before making a decision, please read the plan’s applicable federal brochure(s). All benefits are subject to the definitions, limitations and exclusions set forth in the federal brochure. Plan features and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Aetna does not provide care or guarantee access to health services. For more information about Aetna plans, refer to www.aetnafeds.com. ©2016 Aetna Inc.
2016331
Open Season Report
O
PEN SEASON REPORT
WHAT YOU CAN DO IN OPEN SEASON
Open Season Starts November 14; It’s Time to Prepare ...
F
ederal Benefits Open Season will run from Monday, November 14, through Monday, December 12. During Open Season, federal employees may enroll or change their current enrollments in a number of federal insurance benefit programs, such as the
Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS). Federal retirees and survivors may make changes to their current enrollment under FEHBP
and FEDVIP. Importantly, Open Season is the only time of the year when enrollees in FEDVIP can cancel their enrollment. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will release information regarding the 2017 premiums and benefit changes for the numerous insurance plans
FEHBP DEPENDENT INFORMATION REPORTING WILL CHANGE IN 2017 A major procedural change is coming in 2017 for federal retirees who are changing their FEHBP enrollment to Self Plus One or Self and Family. In past years, annuitants and survivor annuitants were instructed to provide information on the dependents (spouses and children) covered under their enrollment directly to their health insurance plan. Most plans requested this information once they received the enrollment change. Beginning in 2017, carriers will not accept information from annuitants about the dependents covered by their enrollment. Instead, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will report to the carriers the annuitant/ survivor annuitant dependent information. The change is being made because of the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that taxpayers and their families be enrolled in health plans that provide “minimum essential coverage.” OPM has not yet said how it will collect this information. For active employees, their employing agency will 52
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be responsible for reporting the dependents’ information to the health insurance carrier. Many employees retiring at the end of the year make changes to their enrollments to be effective with their January 1 annuity commencement date. OPM has discouraged these employees from using their agency electronic enrollment systems to make these Open Season changes, but many do so anyway. This year, OPM has instructed agency HR representatives to place either a paper Standard Form 2809 (Health Benefits Election Form) or a copy of the printout from the agency’s electronic enrollment systems in the retirement paperwork sent to OPM. Once the pending case is assigned to a legal administrative specialist for adjudication, the dependent information will be entered into OPM’s carrier report system with the new enrollment code and sent to the plan while the case is still being worked on. Once the case is finalized, the new premiums will be withheld.
participating in these federal programs in early October, well ahead of the starting date of Open Season, to give everyone enough time to study the options and make a change if they want. NARFE will publish the new premium rates and information in narfe magazine and will post them on the NARFE website.
WHAT TO EXPECT
In 2017, all FEHBP plans are required to cover applied behavior analysis (ABA) benefits for children on the autism spectrum. Previously, the availability of ABA benefits has been uneven among FEHBP plans, although the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had been encouraging the plans to offer the benefits since 2013.
OPM made ABA benefits mandatory in its 2016 Program Carrier Letter, its official solicitation to insurance carriers for benefit and rate proposals for the 2017 plan year. The cost of the Self Plus One option is another topic covered in this year’s call letter. The Self Plus One enrollment type was first offered in the 2015 Open Season and took effect in the 2016 plan year. Many FEHBP enrollees were surprised when premiums for some Self Plus One plans were the same as Self and Family. In its call letter, OPM cautioned carriers, “As carriers prepare their proposals for 2017 rates and benefits including Self Plus One enrollment types, we expect proposals for Self Plus One rates to be lower than Self and Family
OPEN SEASON WEBINARS
The NARFE Federal Benefits Institute will conduct two webinars on topics related to Open Season: • “FEHBP and Medicare,” October 13, 2 p.m. ET; and • “Alphabet Soup of Health Plans,” November 17, 2 p.m. ET. The webinars are free to NARFE members. To register, go to www.narfe.org, log in and click on the Federal Benefits Institute banner. Webinar presenter will be federal benefits expert Tammy Flanagan. A onehour Q&A session follows each webinar.
the face of eye health Budget-friendly plans Large network Membership satisfaction Sign up today. BENEFEDS.com Open Season dates: November 14 through December 12
W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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Open Season Report
rates.” However, when referring to “rates,” OPM means the total premiums the plan is charging the government. As happened this year in a few cases, the employee’s share of the total premium may be the same as or more for Self Plus One coverage as it is for Self and Family. OPM also expects carriers to increase coordination of benefits with Medicare in 2017. “Carriers should propose benefits changes that allow mem-
bers to maximize their benefits” under FEHBP and Medicare, “such as reduced cost sharing under hospital, medical or pharmacy benefits for members with Part B.” In addition, it encouraged carriers “to improve coordination for pharmacy benefits” covered under Part B and FEHBP. In another area, OPM addressed the problems faced by FEHBP enrollees who encounter unexpected charges from out-ofnetwork providers who render
services within network hospitals – for instance, out-of-network anesthesiologists who assist in surgery at an in-network hospital. “An OPM priority is to minimize unnecessary out-of-network services at in-network facilities,” OPM said. “Our goal is to ensure that members have access to in-network options whenever practicable and receive sufficient notices before out-of-network services are delivered.”
SEPTEMBER 30 IS DEADLINE FOR CHANGES TO LONG-TERM CARE POLICIES Time is running out for enrollees in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) to decide whether to pay the recently increased premiums or opt to make a change to lower the premium. The end of the Enrollee Decision Period is September 30. Here are sources of information that NARFE members may want to consult:
ONLINE INFORMATION
Long Term Care Partners, which administers FLTCIP, has provided several online tools. They may be accessed at www.LTCFEDS.com. They consist of general information, rate calculator, cost of care map and frequently asked questions. Enrollees also can log in/register to access their personal options package and decision tools.
CONTACT FLTCIP DIRECTLY
Enrollees can call a program consultant from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday-Friday through September 30. The number is 800-582-3337, option #1 for the Enrollee Decision Period. Long Term Care Partners notes that if a Durable Power of Attorney is not in place and the enrollee wishes to have a family member on the line to discuss the coverage, a single-use verbal authorization can be requested. Alternatively, an Authorization for Disclosure of Information form can be completed and sent in for a permanent authorization. The Authorization for Disclosure of Information form allows a family member the ability to discuss FLTCIP coverage on behalf of the enrollee.
NARFE members also can email Long Term Care Partners to schedule an appointment when it is convenient for the enrollee: appointments@ltcpartners. com.
ESCALATION TEAM
For particularly sensitive or complex situations, Long Term Care Partners has assembled a small team of specialists to help NARFE members navigate the decision: • MATT PIPER Manager, EDP Escalation Response Direct: 603-433-3894 mpiper@ltcpartners.com
• DARCIE LeTENDRE Team Leader, EDP Escalation Response Direct: 603-296-9350 dletendre@ltcpartners.com • DON MALLETT Team Leader, EDP Escalation Response Direct: 603-296-9336 dmallett@ltcpartners.com.
NARFE has called for congressional hearings and is evaluating policy changes in the program to mitigate such dramatic increases in the future (see story, p. 6).
TO HELP MEMBERS make their decisions, NARFE hosted a webinar with FLTCIP experts on September 9. The video is archived at www.narfe.org. 54
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Managing Money
TSP WITHDRAWALS: CONSIDER THE TRADE-OFFS
L
ast month’s column touched on the annuity withdrawal option in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and the income estimate reported on the TSP annual
statements. This month, we’ll take a look at some of the trade-offs retirees should consider when deciding between the annuity and monthly withdrawal options. The annuity option is arguably one of the least-desired withdrawal options. Why? For many, it boils down to control of assets, or rather, loss of control. Once you purchase the annuity, your money belongs to MetLife (TSP’s annuity provider), and you cannot change or reverse your decision. This has a couple of implications. First, other than the monthly payments you’ll receive, you’ll no longer have access to the money you invested in the annuity. Second, no money will pass to your beneficiaries after you, or you and your joint annuitant (if you purchased a joint survivor annuity), die. On the other hand, if you elect to take monthly withdrawals from your TSP, you will remain in control of your money for as long as you live. And if you have any money left when you die, it will pass to your beneficiaries. The TSP annuity does offer a cash refund option, which guarantees that you, your joint annuitant or your beneficiaries will at least get back the money you invested in the annuity.
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There’s also a 10-year certain option, which guarantees payments will continue for at least 10 years to you or your beneficiaries. You may have noticed the emphasis I placed on the word “if” earlier. This is to recognize there are no guarantees with the monthly withdrawal strategy – the monthly payments will last only for as long as the money in your TSP lasts. Depending on your investment results, withdrawal amount and whether you adjust the payments, there’s always the chance you’ll outlive your money. In contrast, perhaps the single biggest benefit to the annuity is the monthly payments are guaranteed (by MetLife) for life. Furthermore, the monthly payment you receive will never go down. In fact, they’ll increase with the consumer price index if the increasing payments option is elected. The annuity payment will be based on factors such as age, amount invested, the interest rate index and options elected. Similarly, when deciding on the
BY MARK A. KEEN
CFP®
size of the monthly withdrawals, you’ll need to take into consideration such factors as your age, the amount of money and the allocation of your investments in order to reduce the risk of outliving your money. For years, the financial world has taught the initial safe withdrawal rate for a couple in their early 60s is about 4 percent of their portfolio. For example, a $300,000 investment portfolio could yield $1,000 per month, or $12,000 for the year. There are many assumptions baked into the so-called 4 percent rule; perhaps we’ll discuss them another time. For now, it’s only important to recognize that many retirees have been conditioned to use this rule as a basis for the withdrawal amount they can expect to take from their investments. With this in mind, anyone who has looked into the annuity option may be further discouraged to learn that the annuity payout rate may not be much better than the 4 percent rule. And if any additional options are elected, the payout rate may actually be less than 4 percent. For example, according to the TSP’s Retirement Income Calculator, a couple, both age 62, investing $300,000 in a joint 100 percent survivor annuity will receive a lifetime payment of $1,073 per month or, if increasing payments were
BENEFITS RESOURCES NARFE offers members a wide range of information on federal benefits. Visit www. narfe.org/federalbenefits and www.narfe.org/ FederalBenefitsInstitute.
elected, a first year payment of $647 per month. These payments equate to a withdrawal rate of 4.3 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively. What’s the point, then, of giving up all control if the annuity doesn’t provide any more income than what we’ve been told we can take out safely as withdrawals? Perhaps the 4 percent rule is setting unreasonable expectations. Indeed, many retirees invest too conservatively to live by the 4 percent
rule. Furthermore, the rule is based on historical data that may not be repeated, given today’s stock valuations and persistently low interest rates. Guaranteed versus nonguaranteed – that’s the point. At the end of the day, it’s never an all or nothing decision. The best strategy may be a combination of an annuity and withdrawals. In fact, there’s a great deal of research going on in the field of retirement income, and several studies have suggested this. Ultimately, retirees will need to take into consideration their personal circumstances and the trade-offs when it comes time to develop their own plan for generating income for a lifetime. MARK A. KEEN, CFP®, IS PARTNER, KEEN & POCOCK, 10300 EATON PLACE, FAIRFAX, VA, AND AN INVESTMENT ADVISER REPRESENTATIVE AND REGISTERED PRINCIPAL OF THE STRATEGIC FINANCIAL ALLIANCE, INC. (SFA). SECURITIES AND ADVISORY SERVICES ARE OFFERED THROUGH SFA. EMAIL: MKEEN@KEENPOCOCK.COM.
What Every Fed Ought to Know About Their Benefits FREE for NARFE Members in the NARFE Federal Benefits Institute
You are just a click away from expert guidance on the confusing issues surrounding federal benefits and retirement. Access these online resources, exclusively for NARFE members. READY-TO-VIEW WEBINARS TO HELP YOU:
New!
PRE- OR POST-RETIREMENT? What You NEED to Know MANAGE YOUR HEALTH BENEFITS Understand the Options and Save! AVOID FINANCIAL PLANNING PITFALLS Get Smart about the TSP and Social Security
Not a member? Join NARFE today to
access all NARFE Federal Benefits Institute resources and events: www.narfe.org/join.
NARFE Federal Benefits Institute
Upcoming Online Presentations!
Tammy Flanagan, federal benefits expert and narfe magazine contributor, presents: FEHBP and Medicare October 13, 2 p.m. ET
The Alphabet Soup of Health Plans November 17, 2 p.m. ET
Mark A. Keen, CFP and narfe magazine columnist, presents: How Much Money Do You Need to Retire? December 8, 2 p.m. ET
www.NARFE.org/Institute
W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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The Informed Citizen
2016 ELECTIONS
T
he only offices determined by all voters are president and vice president. To allow voters to make a well-informed decision, candidates meeting certain thresholds are to engage in four debates, three for the presidential contenders and one for the vice presidential candidates (see schedule below). Where you live will determine what else is on your ballot. Most states will have at least one statewide office to fill – governor (12) or U.S. senator (34) or both (11). All 435 voting and six nonvoting members of the U.S. House of Representatives will be on the ballot by district. In three states – Florida, North Carolina and Virginia – some congressional districts were redrawn since 2014. Governor Eleven regularly scheduled gubernatorial elections and a special election in Oregon will be held in 2016. Two will be held in 2017 and 37 in 2018. Unlike most election handicappers and prognosticators, who sell their insights, the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics produces a free, highly accurate and regularly updated election service, the Crystal Ball, which includes governor contests. In addition to its information on the gubernatorial races, this web-based service also has sections on elections for president and the U.S. Senate and House, including candidate listings,
maps and ratings. The URL is www.centerforpolitics.org/ crystalball/. There you can “Subscribe to the Crystal Ball.” State Legislature In the 50 states, 99 state legislative chambers are holding elections in 2016; 42 of the 50 state senates and 44 of the 49 state houses. Of these, 20 legislative chambers in 13 states are especially narrowly divided politically (the margin of control is under 20 percent) and are drawing the concentrated attention of both major parties and numerous super PACs. Ballotpedia provides candidate pairings by state and chamber. For the California Sen-
2016 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES Each 90-minute debate will begin at 9 p.m. EDT. September 26 October 4 October 9 October 19 58
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First Presidential Debate, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY Vice Presidential Debate, Longwood University, Farmville, VA Second Presidential Debate, Washington University, St. Louis, MO Third Presidential Debate, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
2 016
BY CHRISTOPHER FARRELL SENIOR ANALYST
ate, use https://ballotpedia.org/ California_State_Senate_ elections,_2016. For other state senates, replace the state name. For the lower chamber, use House or Assembly in place of Senate. Incumbency is an advantage, but primary and general elections defeats, term limits and voluntary retirements produce much higher turnover in state legislatures than in Congress. Half the current members of Congress served in their state legislature or as governor. Ballot Measures A total of 128 statewide ballot measures are certified for the ballot across 35 states so far in 2016, most of which will be decided during the November election. Ballotpedia and the National Conference of State Legislatures (www.ncsl.org) provide detailed information on ballot measures and will report on the outcomes. Starting Point NARFE’s Legislative Action Center now provides local (city and county) as well as federal and state elected officials. Use http:// cqrcengage.com/narfe/State_ Advocacy and enter your full address to show photos of your officials and links to detailed information. If you have questions, contact me at cfarrell@narfe.org or 571-483-1265.
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2016
G FUND
F FUND
C FUND
S FUND
I FUND
AUGUST
0.13%
-0.11%
0.14%
0.80%
0.08%
JULY
0.13%
0.64%
3.69%
5.40%
5.07%
JUNE
0.15%
1.80%
0.26%
-0.13%
-3.33%
YTD
1.19%
6.05%
7.85%
9.13%
1.54%
1 YEAR
1.90%
6.29%
12.63%
7.27%
0.30%
3 YEAR*
2.10%
4.87%
12.38%
9.51%
2.81%
5 YEAR*
1.90%
3.60%
14.76%
13.67%
5.35%
10 YEAR*
2.73%
5.12%
7.57%
8.45%
1.98%
L INCOME
L 2020
L 2030
L 2040
L 2050
AUGUST
0.13%
0.16%
0.18%
0.20%
0.21%
JULY
1.00%
2.01%
2.85%
3.31%
3.74%
JUNE
0.11%
-0.12%
-0.31%
-0.43%
-0.58%
YTD
2.61%
3.84%
4.83%
5.33%
5.70%
1 YEAR
3.64%
5.11%
6.25%
6.76%
7.13%
3 YEAR*
3.87%
5.97%
7.06%
7.73%
8.25%
5 YEAR*
4.18%
7.41%
8.87%
9.86%
10.67%
10 YEAR*
3.97%
5.15%
5.70%
5.99%
N/A
2016
*ANNUALIZED
*ANNUALIZED
RETURNS are net of the effect of accrued administrative expenses and investment expenses/costs. Source: TSP (For additional monthly returns, go to www.tsp.gov.) G Fund: Government securities (specially issued to the TSP) F Fund: Government, corporate and mortgage-backed bonds C Fund: Stocks of large- and medium-size U.S. companies S Fund: Stocks of small- to medium-size U.S. companies (not included in the C Fund) I Fund: International stocks of 21 developed countries L Fund: (Lifecycle) Invested in the G, F, C, S and I Funds (The proportion of L Fund balance invested in each of the individual TSP funds depends on the L Fund chosen.)
OPM RETIREMENT CLAIMS PROCESSING STATUS
Stocks managed to end August close to where they began after initially benefitting from economic growth optimism and a continued belief that Federal Reserve policy would remain on hold. Late-month concerns about rate hikes and oil oversupply helped reverse some earlier gains. I Fund returns were muted as a stronger dollar subtracted from returns. The F Fund had just a slight loss for the month as expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike grew. The L Funds performed as expected with mild positive gains across the board. —BY SEAN MCCAFFREY, ACTING CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN
COUNTDOWN TO COLA
T
he Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) decreased 0.22 percent in July. To calculate the 2017 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), the indices of July, August and September 2016 will be averaged and compared with the 2014 third-quarter average of 234.242. The percentage increase, if any, determines the COLA. July’s index, 234.789, is up 0.23 percent from the base. Benefits awarded under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) to individuals suffering work-related injuries or illnesses are adjusted according to each calendar year’s percentage change in the CPI-W. July’s index is 1.73 percent higher than the December 2015 base index of 230.791. The CPI represents purchases of food and beverages, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation, education and communication, and other goods and services. Included are various government fees, such as water charges, auto registration fees, and sales and excise taxes. MONTH
2015
2016
For the Record
TSP STOCK FUNDS MOSTLY HOLD STEADY DURING AUGUST
THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN FUND RETURNS
Claims Received
AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY
7,341 6,300 8,374 6,019 4,753 15,423 11,293 5,741 7,241 7,210 5,929 9,238
Inventory Avg # of Days (Steady State % Processed in to Process Case in is 13,000) 60 Days or Less (YTD) More Than 60 Days
16,350 14,706 12,642 12,562 11,399 19,761 22,692 19,211 14,517 14,035 13,529 15,562
70% 70% 74% 76% 78% 79% 80% 82% 80% 80% 79% 79%
98 94 86 98 104 94 96 118 92 103 115 110
FOR THE NUMBER of new retirement cases the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) receives each month by agency and the percent with errors that it returns to those agencies, go to www.opm.gov/retirement-services/. Source: OPM 60
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CPI-W
Monthly % Change
% Change from 234.242
OCTOBER 2015
232.373
-0.12
-0.80
NOVEMBER
231.721
-0.28
-1.08
DECEMBER
230.791
-0.40
-1.47
JANUARY 2016
231.061
+0.12
-1.36
FEBRUARY
230.972
-0.04
-1.40
MARCH
232.209
+0.54
-0.87
APRIL
233.438
+0.53
-0.34
MAY
234.444
+0.43
+0.09
JUNE
235.308
+0.37
+0.46
JULY
234.789
-0.22
+0.23
AUGUST SEPTEMBER
Donate to NARFE Programs Support Alzheimer’s Research
YOUR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION IS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW.
WRITE YOUR CHAPTER NUMBER ON CHECK; MAKE IT PAYABLE TO: NARFE-Alzheimer’s Research
Enclosed is my NARFE-Alzheimer’s contribution: $ Every cent that is contributed is used for research. Please circle: Mr. Mrs. Miss Ms. AND MAIL TO: Name: Alzheimer’s Association Address: 225 N. Michigan Ave., 17th Floor City: State: ZIP: Chicago, IL 60601-7633 Chapter Number: Credit Card Information: MasterCard VISA NARFE MEMBERS CONTRIBUTED FOR If you have any questions, write to: Discover AMEX ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH: $12 Million Fund NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIR Card Number: Merv Stuckey, 2272 E. Buster Mountain Dr. Expiration Date: (mm)/ (yy) Oro Valley, AZ 85755-4709 *Total as of July 31, 2016 3-Digit Security Code: 100% of all contributed funds go to Name: (please print) EMAIL: narferoadrunner@comcast.net
$11,917,735*
Alzheimer’s research.
Signature
Join the Silver CIrcle CLIP THIS CONTRIBUTION FORM AND MAIL TO: NARFE Silver Circle, 606 N. Washington St. Alexandria, VA 22314
•For a contribution of $25 or more, you will receive a Silver Circle pin, and your name will be listed in narfe magazine with other contributors. •For a contribution of $1,000 or more, your name will be placed on the “Wall of Fame” at NARFE Headquarters.
YOUR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION IS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW.
/
Enclosed is my Silver Circle contribution: $ ID # (ID # may be found on your narfe magazine label or your NARFE membership card)
Name: Address: City: State: ZIP: Silver Circle contributions are NOT deductible for federal income tax purposes.
INSTALLMENT PLAN Wall of Fame 12-month installment plan
Give to the Scholarship and Disaster Funds
PLEASE MAIL COUPON AND CHECK TO: FEEA 3333 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 300 Lakewood, CO 80227
/
All donations go to the NARFE General Fund to support NARFE programs and operations.
My check is enclosed
(Please make check payable to NARFE Silver Circle.)
Please charge my credit card Card type MasterCard VISA Discover AMEX Card Number: Expiration Date: (mm)/ (yy) Name: (please print)
Signature
MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO: NARFE-FEEA Disaster Fund or NARFE-FEEA Scholarship Fund.
Date
YES!
Date
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I would like to help with my contribution.
Please check appropriate box(es). To make credit card contributions, call 800-338-0755. Scholarships are available to children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of federal civilian retirees and current federal employees who are NARFE members. NARFE-FEEA Disaster Fund
Amount: $
NARFE-FEEA Scholarship Fund
Amount: $
Name: Address: City: State: ZIP:
MAKING HISTORY
A
t the 34th Biennial NARFE National Convention in Reno, NV, August 28-September 1, delegates removed a requirement that all members of the Association must belong to a chapter. The resolution calling for chapter membership to be optional received 68.78 percent of the votes in electronic balloting, more than the two-thirds required to pass. The Convention also adopted a resolution giving all members a vote in the governance of the Association, with 74.98 percent of the votes. Both resolutions were submitted by the National Executive Board (NEB) in response to a year-long strategic planning effort. “History was made at this Convention,” said National President Richard G. Thissen. “The issue of mandatory chapter membership has been a deterrent to NARFE’s recruitment and retention efforts
SILVER CIRCLE DONORS UPDATE As of August 15, NARFE’s Silver Circle donation program stood at $159,500. The program gives members a vehicle to donate to the Association beyond the norm. Donors of $25 or more are listed in narfe magazine and receive a Silver Circle pin. Donors of a total of $1,000
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Photo by Digiman Studio
NARFE News
RECRUIT AND WIN! NARFE’s fall Membership Drive starts September 1. Members can earn $10 for each new member they recruit – current federal employees and retirees qualify. (The recruiter’s ID number must be provided when the new member joins.) Recruiters also will be entered once for each recruit for the Grand Prize Drawing for an Apple iPad Air 2.
Region X, William Shackelford of Virginia. Caucuses also elected Richard Wilson of Washington as Region IX RVP, replacing longtime RVP Lanny G. Ross of Washington, who decided not to seek re-election after 16 years in office. Two offices were contested and went to a ballot vote. Clarence Robinson of Georgia defeated incumbent Jerry Janci of Mississippi to become Region III RVP. Region VII RVP Rodney L. Adelman of Arizona was re-elected, beating challenger John Swett of Wyoming. More Convention coverage will appear in the November issue.
since its inception in the mid1980s. This vote will allow us to say, ‘Join NARFE.’ ” Thissen also expressed pleasure that delegates supported One Member, One Vote. “It’s the American way,” he said. Member voting will replace the former representative system in which chapters were authorized one vote for every 50 chapter members. Convention delegates re-elected Thissen and National Secretary/ Treasurer Jon Dowie by acclamation. Both were unopposed. Regional vice presidents (RVPs), who round out the NEB, also were elected at the Convention. Reelected at regional caucuses were: Region I, James P. Crawford of New Hampshire; Region II, Evelyn Kirby of Maryland; Region IV, Edward J. Konys of Ohio; Region V, Carol R. Ek of Kansas; Region VI, Marshall L. Richards of Texas; Region VIII, Helen L. Zajac of California; and
In the photo above, Past National President Margaret Baptiste, center, administered the oath of office to, from left: Thissen, Dowie, Crawford, Kirby, Robinson, Konys, Ek, Richards, Adelman, Zajac, Wilson and Shackelford.
or more have their names engraved on the Wall of Fame at NARFE Headquarters. Donors from April 16-August 15 are listed here with their chapter numbers. Donald J. Book of Lacey, WA, a member of Chapter 0055; and Joseph Godfrey of New Rochelle, NY, a member of Chapter 1758, qualify for the Wall of Fame with a contribution of $1,000 or more. Alabama: James L. Barnes, 1609. California: Jack R. Gunter, 0004.
eNARFE: Barbara J. Francescon, 2363. Florida: Roger D. Guilbeault, 0095; Leo R. Gray, 0162. Maine: Roland A. Metayer, 1796. Michigan: William C. Rossow, 1163; Mary M. Lee, 1515. Minnesota: Randy L. Vindedahl, 0150. Missouri: R. Douglas Glynn, 0019. Nevada: Donald N. Babb, 2167. New York: Robert L. Acerno, 0023; Linda A. Suchocki, 0153. Oregon: Michael P. Parker, 0029. Virginia: Nancy Shields, 0682; John Bankson, 1159.
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*Prices are per person, double occupancy and do not include taxes & government fees which range from $199 to $299. Cruise tour pricing based on Inside Cabin, upgrades are available, as is add-on airfare. $500 air offer good from 50 cities and $750 air offer available from another 50 cities. Air offer for Hawaii applies to tours departing January - February 2017 only. Air offer for Alaska applies to all 2017 departure dates. 2nd person on 2 for 1 offers only pays taxes & fees. Free balcony upgrade requires payment of ocean view cabin supplement. All special offers apply to new bookings only made by 11/30/16 and are subject to availability. Prices shown are after Instant Rebate is applied, $1,000 instant rebate savings are based on Balcony cabin. Seasonal surcharges and single supplements may apply. Additional terms and conditions apply, visit ymtvacations.com/setsailoffers or ask your Travel Consultant for details.
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Active and Retired Federal Employees ...
JOIN NARFE TODAY!
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association The only organization dedicated solely to protecting and preserving the benefits of all federal workers and retirees, NARFE informs you of any developments and proposals that affect your compensation, retirement and health benefits, AND provides clear answers to your benefit questions.
Who Should Join?
Three Easy Ways To Join
If your future security is tied to federal retirement benefits — 1. Complete this application and return by mail with your payment. federal retirees, current employees, spouses, and individual 2. Join online at www.narfe.org. survivors — you should join NARFE. 3. Call 800-627-3394, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
NARFE MEMBERSHIP APPLIC ATION
1Q5
q YES. I want to join NARFE.
I am a (check all that apply) q Active Federal Employee q Active Federal Employee Spouse q Annuitant q Annuitant Spouse q Survivor Annuitant
Street Address _____________________________________
Apt./Unit __________________________________________
q Please enroll my spouse
City _______________________ State _____ ZIP __________
Spouse’s Full Name ________________________________
Phone (__________) _________________________________
Spouse’s Email
q Mr. q Mrs. q Miss q Ms.
Full Name _________________________________________
Email _____________________________________________
Choose Your Membership Type
All NARFE members receive narfe magazine, access to federal benefits specialists, NARFE’s News Watch, legislative Hotline, and exclusive member discounts, along with professional lobbyists advocating on your behalf. Members choose one of two chapter options.
q Local Chapter
Under the direction of local leadership, chapters offer regular meetings often with invited speakers, as well as networking, volunteer and grass-roots lobbying opportunities. Annual chapter dues, determined by the locality, are charged in subsequent years.
Chapter Affiliation: Chapter # __ __ __ __
_____________________________
NARFE respects the privacy of our members. Personal information is used to provide content and relevant communications to our members, and will not be sold or rented to third parties without your express permission.
PAYMENT OPTIONS q Check, Money Order or Bill Pay (Payable to NARFE) q Bill me (NARFE membership will start when payment is received.) q Charge my: q MasterCard q VISA q Discover q American Express Card No. ____________________________________ Expiration Date _____ /_________ mm yyyy Name on Card ________________________________
OR
Signature ____________________________________
q eNARFE
Date ________________________________________
The eNARFE Chapter provides a place for members to keep active in and informed about the federal community without the formality of a local chapter. Advocacy is encouraged within the e-community, and members may join with local groups for grass-roots participation. There are no additional dues for the eNARFE Chapter.
TOTAL DUES $40 First-Year Dues X __________ = __________ Per Person # Enrolling Total Dues
Dues payments and gifts or contributions to NARFE are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
MAY WE THANK SOMEONE? If applicable, please provide the name, membership and chapter number of the member who introduced you to NARFE: Recruiter’s Name_________________________________ Recruiter’s Membership ID _________________________ Recruiter’s Chapter Number ________________________
MAIL THIS APPLICATION TO NARFE Member Records 606 N. Washington St. / Alexandria, VA 22314-1914
NARFE’s Dues Withholding Program What is dues withholding? It is a dues-payment method that gives NARFE members (retirees) the option of having their annual NARFE membership dues deducted from their annuities on a monthly basis. How does it work? One-twelfth of your total dues is automatically deducted from your monthly annuity. Your monthly deduction is determined by the following formula: (National dues ÷ 12) + (Chapter dues ÷ 12) = Total Monthly Deduction
Advantages • Save 15% off your annual membership dues! • Sign up your spouse and double your savings! • You’ll never get another dues reminder from us! • Your monthly payment is affordable and convenient! • You may cancel your dues withholding at any time! Application process It takes 60-90 days to process your application. Once the process is complete, you will receive a special membership card distinguishing you as a NARFE dues-withholding member.
To learn more about dues withholding, call 800-627-3394. Retirees, spouses of retirees and annuitant survivors are eligible for dues withholding.
NARFE Dues Withholding Application for Retirees n YES. I want to enroll in NARFE’s Dues Withholding Program (Annual dues of $34 plus Chapter dues of record to be withheld annually.) Social Security Number (9-digit number)
–
Civil Service Annuity Number
–
C S
–
–
–
(Include prefix, CSA or CSF) (Include any applicable suffix)
n Mr. n Mrs. n Miss n Ms. Full Name _______________________________________
NARFE MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Street Address ___________________________________
NARFE Membership ID ____________________________________
Apt./Unit________________________________________
NARFE Chapter Number____________________________________
City _________________________ State _____ ZIP _____
n YES. I Also Authorize My (NARFE Member) Spouse’s Dues To Be
Phone (__________) ______________________________ Email ___________________________________________ Date of Birth _________ /_________ / ____________________ dd
mm
yyyy
Withheld From My Annuity. (Additional annual dues of $34 plus Chapter dues of record to be withheld annually.) If YES, enter spouse’s information below. Spouse’s Name ___________________________________________ Spouse’s Membership ID ___________________________________
AUTHORIZATION (Withholding will begin in 60-90 days). No payment should be forwarded with application. I authorize the United States Office of Personnel Management to make appropriate deductions from my annuity payments, not to exceed the amount certified by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association as the amount of dues for which I am annually obligated, in accordance with elections I make below, and to pay the deducted sum to the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE). This authorization shall also apply to any and all dues changes certified by NARFE membership in accordance with elections I make below: Please allow 60-90 days for processing.
I understand that this authorization shall be valid until NARFE receives and processes my written notice of cancellation in accordance with its agreement with the Office of Personnel Management and that any disputes regarding this authorization shall be a matter between NARFE and myself. I hold the Office of Personnel Management harmless for any erroneous allotment deduction made pursuant to this authorization. ___________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________
Signature of Annuitant or Survivor-Annuitant
Date
Dues payments and gifts or contributions to NARFE are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. MAIL THIS FORM TO: NARFE, ATTN: Member Records, 606 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314-1914 www.narfe.org 800-627-3394 rr@narfe.org Do not send money with this form
DW-2 (08/12)
Member Perks
SAVE MONEY WITH NARFE PERKS NARFE appreciates your service, and so do businesses across the country. Whether you are planning your next vacation or planning for retirement, members can save money on everyday purchases, thanks to our Affinity Partners. It’s just one more way we’re able to say “thank you” for being a NARFE member. FINANCE AND LEGAL
IDShield & LegalShield 571-830-5489 www.legalshield.com/info/narfe LegalShield offers legal service plans as well as identity theft protection plans to NARFE members at discounted monthly rates. For more information on rates and to sign up today, visit the website above.
to secure a comparable quote. Your completed quote will help benefit NARFE! For complete terms and conditions, visit www.narfe.org/memberperks.
NARFE Insurance Services 800-233-5764 www.narfeinsurance.com
NARFE General Store 855-99NARFE (855-996-2733) www.narfegeneralstore.com
Designed and administered by Mercer Consumer, exclusively for NARFE members: senior age whole life, term life, Medicare supplements, hospital income plan, short-term recovery insurance, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, cancer care, enhanced dental insurance and long-term care.
As the official provider of NARFE merchandise, the NARFE General Store offers NARFE-approved name badges, business cards, clothing, accessories, cups and mugs, plaques and clocks, and much, much more. Check out our online catalog for our customizable product line.
MOVING SERVICES
InFirst Federal Credit Union 800-328-1500 www.infirstfcu.org
All NARFE members will receive contracted pricing for all interstate shipments. This will apply to packing, transportation and full-value coverage against damages. Please mention you are a NARFE member.
INSURANCE
Wheaton World Wide Moving 800-248-7960 narfe@wvlcorp.com
GEICO offers a special discount opportunity for NARFE members. To find out how much you could save, visit our website or call today and mention that you are a NARFE member. Have your current coverage information available in order 66
Bekins Van Lines 800-248-4810 narfe@bekins.com
As a member of NARFE, you have the privilege of joining InFirst Federal Credit Union, which has been serving active and retired federal employees since 1935. The credit union offers extensive services at competitive rates to members nationwide at 5,000+ shared branches, 55,000 surcharge-free ATMs and 24/7 phone access. Accounts are insured by NCUA up to $250,000.
GEICO 800-368-2734 www.geico.com/fed/narfe
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NARFE MERCHANDISE
At Wheaton, we know interstate relocating is much more than trucks and boxes. Moving is not simply an address change. It’s a life change. With a network of top-quality agents throughout the United States, Wheaton provides peace of mind with every relocation. We offer you, as a NARFE member, benefits to help you have a positive interstate relocation experience. Call today and mention you are a NARFE member to start the moving process.
PRODUCTS
Omaha Steaks 800-228-9055 www.omahasteaks.com/ NARFE Since 1917, Omaha Steaks has been delivering customers the finest gourmet steaks, seafood, poultry, pork, sides and desserts. Omaha Steaks make memorable gifts for any holiday, or you can enjoy a gourmet meal right at home. NARFE members can enjoy FREE SHIPPING on select combos and an additional 10% DISCOUNT at checkout! If calling, use promo code YTZ.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Sprint 877-746-8249 www.sprint.com/fed NARFE members receive a 15% discount with Sprint! Access www.sprint. com/fed, call 877-746-8249 or visit the Sprint store nearest you to take ad-
vantage of this offer. Please bring your member ID card with you to our stores to sign up for the discount, and provide code GNARF_ZMB.
with approximately 3,500 locations around the world, Budget is a leading rental car supplier now offering discounts to members of NARFE. Call or book your reservation now at Budget. com using the NARFE BCD number D871500.
Verizon FiOS www.narfe.org/memberperks NARFE members can save up to $10 a month on a new qualifying Triple Play bundle with Verizon FiOS Internet, TV and home phone service – savings of up to $120 per year. The FiOS 100% fiberoptic network delivers award-winning broadband and entertainment to your home. Only FiOS Internet customers get upload speeds as fast as their download speeds. With FiOS TV, 625+ channels are available, including 185+ in HD, and over 130,000 On Demand titles, thousands free. This exclusive online-only savings is only available to new Verizon customers or those upgrading to the Triple Play Package.
TRAVEL
Wyndham Hotel Group 877-670-7088 Choice Hotels International 800-258-2847 www.choicehotels.com With 6,200 hotels in the United States and throughout the world, Choice Hotels® offers something for everyone. As a NARFE member, receive 20% off your next stay at participating hotels when you use Special Rate ID 00801967. This offer is subject to availability and cannot be combined with any other offer. Advance reservations required through phone number or website above; cannot be redeemed at individual hotels. Choice Hotels brands are: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Ascend Collection, Cambria, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Clarion, Quality and Rodeway Inn.
Alamo 800-462-5266 www.alamo.com Drive Happy® with Alamo® where NARFE members receive year-round discounts. Call or visit our website today and reference Contract ID 262544.
Avis Car Rental 800-633-3469 www.avis.com Avis Car Rental is one of the world’s best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,500 locations in more than 165 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world’s top brands for customer loyalty. Call or book your reservation now at Avis.com using the NARFE AWD number A701900.
Budget Car Rental 800-633-3469 www.budget.com Budget Car rental was founded in 1958 for the “budget-minded” renter. Today,
5282909. For complete terms and conditions, visit www.narfe.org/ memberperks.
NARFE members receive up to 20% off the “Best Available Rate” at participating locations. Call and give the agent your special discount ID number, 8000002694, at time of booking to receive discount. Call to reserve your room today at one of these fine hotels: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Days Inn®, Ramada Worldwide®, Baymont Inns and Suites®, Hawthorn Suites® By Wyndham, Microtel Inns and Suites®, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® and Knights Inn®. Advance reservations required through phone number above; cannot be redeemed at individual hotels.
WELLNESS
Beltone Hearing Care 888-418-6763
Local Hospitality www.narfe.org/travel NARFE is pleased to offer its members an exclusive travel discount service. Savings may exceed 50% and average 10-20% below market on all hotels and car rental suppliers around the world. Any hotel, any car, anywhere, anytime!
Beltone has been helping the world hear better for 75 years. NARFE members receive 25% off, and those with Blue Cross Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan insurance coverage may be eligible for two Beltone True 3™ hearing aids for ZERO out-of-pocket.
Life Line Screening 800-324-9906 www.lifelinescreening.com/ NARFE National 800-CAR-RENT www.nationalcarrental.com You Drive A Hard Bargain. Receive up to 20% off rentals at National Car Rental. To make a reservation, call National Car Rental at 1-800-CARRENT® and reference Contract ID
Life Line Screening, America’s leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings, will conduct health screenings using state-ofthe-art ultrasound technology in your neighborhood. To schedule an appointment, please call the number above and give the operator code number BKHN075 or visit the website.
NARFE Member Perks are designed to provide NARFE members with a quality option in their search for commonly used products and services. NARFE makes no guarantee on any products and services listed and encourages its members to shop and compare before making a decision on any financial matter. W W W. N A R F E . O R G
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The Way We Worked
COLORING – AND GRAZING – INSIDE THE LINES In this 1963 photo, U.S. Forest Ranger District Clerk Joyce Bigelow hand colors a Range Allotment Map of the 3.36 million-acre Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in Montana using colored pencils. While the National Forests were originally established to protect timberlands and watersheds, Congress later authorized the Forest Service to allow livestock grazing as long as it did not hurt forest growth. The agency’s controls, including grazing allotments, were attempts to protect the land and prevent large companies from monopolizing the resource. Today, the Forest Service makes the grazing allotment maps available online. PHOTO from the U.S. Forest Service; courtesy of National Archives History Office; in collaboration with the Society for History in the Federal Government (SHFG), bringing together government professionals, academics, consultants, students and citizens interested in understanding federal history work and the historical development of the federal government. To join, visit http://shfg.org. 68
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DID YOU KNOW? Livestock grazing is permitted on more than 95 million acres of National Forest System lands in 29 states. The Forest Service’s rangeland management specialists work “to provide such things as habitat for a variety of plant and animal species, clean water, and sustainable grazing and browsing,” according to the Forest Service website, www.fs.fed.us. “They inventory, classify and monitor rangeland conditions to maintain or improve rangeland health.”
A
B LL Bu ig -NE tt ge W on r s
s o N ac t r nt Co
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